WRESTLING USA Magazine's Wrestling News

New Book, The Ultimate Guide to Wrestling Camps Now Available

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - (March 15, 2010) - A new book that will help educate and inform wrestlers and parents on how to make the best possible decision when it comes to picking a wrestling camp, club and other training options is now on the market. The book, The Ultimate Guide to Wrestling Camps, is for sale at wrestlingcampguide.com.

With interviews, comments and information from over 40 of the most informed and knowledgeable people involved in the sport of wrestling from across the country, this book is not only an educational resource for wrestlers, it's a valuable tool for parents who are trying to learn more about the training opportunities available for their son or daughter. The book provides tips and information for wrestlers of all ages, including youth wrestlers, middle school wrestlers and high school wrestlers.

But The Ultimate Guide to Wrestling Camps is more than just a resource about camps. It provides information on club wrestling, the combination of MMA training and wrestling, nutrition tips, offseason training tips, camp checklists, case studies and wrestling stories from those who have experience at all levels of the sport of wrestling.

The source list for the book includes Olympians, NCAA champions, All-Americans, college coaches, high school coaches, club directors, camp directors, parents, youth wrestlers, female wrestlers and more.

<http://www.wrestlingcampguide.com/chapters/>Read the complete list of sources and chapter breakdown

The author of the book is Matt Krumrie, former editor of TheWrestlingMall.com and contributor to W.I.N Magazine and The Guillotine.

"What I did was take the advice, comments and experiences of those who are involved with camps, clubs and training and coaching wrestlers and turned it into resources and stories that can benefit wrestlers and their parents," says Krumrie. "Parents spend hundreds and often times, thousands of dollars on a kids wrestling career, traveling to events and tournaments, taking them to club practice, attending summer camp. The goal of this book is to inform and educate and help the parent make the best decision for their budget and the wrestler the best decision for his or her career. The Ultimate Guide to Wrestling Camps does just that"

For more information go to wrestlingcampguide.com
ESPNU HD, ESPN HD Will Feature Live Presentation of NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships

Three Former All-America Wrestlers to Join Commentators in Providing In-Depth Analysis

ESPNU, ESPN and ESPN360.com will combine for expanded live coverage of the 80th annual NCAA Wrestling Championships on Friday, March 19, and Saturday, March 20, from the Qwest Center Omaha in Omaha, Neb. The Championships will be telecast entirely in high definition.

For the first time, three former All-America athletes will join ESPN commentators during select telecasts, providing unique perspective and adding to the in-depth analysis: Ben Askren, Missouri (quarterfinals), Jordan Leen, Cornell (semis) and Jake Herbert, Northwestern (medal round).

The quarterfinals will air Friday, March 19, at 10:30 a.m. ET, and the semifinals at 7 p.m., both on ESPNU. For the fourth consecutive year, the quarterfinals (two of four matches) and semifinals (both matches) will be telecast in a side-by-side format, allowing viewers to catch the action in two matches at the same time.

ESPNU will televise the Championship Medal Round on Saturday, March 20, at 11 a.m., and the hunt for the Div. I title culminates with the Finals at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN. During the Finals, two referees per match each will wear a microphone, providing fans with even more access to and understanding of the action.

ESPN360.com, ESPN's broadband sports television network, will simulcast ESPNU's presentation of the quarterfinals Friday and the Finals on Saturday. During the quarterfinals, ESPN360.com will devote a single feed to each of the four mats, giving viewers the option to stay with one mat.

Todd Harris will serve as play-by-play announcer alongside analysts Tim Johnson and Olympic gold medalist Jeff Blatnick, with reporter Quint Kessenich, a former two-time county wrestling champion at New York's Lynnbrook High School. For ESPN360.com coverage, 1981 NCAA 134-pound champion wrestler Jim Gibbons, who coached the 1987 Iowa State Cyclones to the national title, returns for the third year as analyst and will be joined by play-by-play announcer Shawn Kenney.

ESPN360.com is available in more than 50 million homes -- two-thirds of U.S. broadband homes -- at no cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection from an affiliated service provider. Approximately 21 million U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel receive free, seamless access to the NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championships and hundreds of other live college and professional sporting events each month from an on-campus ".edu" or ".mil" network domain in the United States.

<http://espn.go.com/college-sports/>ESPNU launched March 4, 2005. The 24-hour college sports television network is available in more than 70.4 million households and has long-term carriage agreements with nine of the top 10 providers - Charter, Comcast, Cox, DirecTV (Channel 614), DISH Network (Channel 148), Mediacom, Time Warner Cable, Verizon FiOS TV and AT&T U-verse. ESPNU televises more than 600 live events annually and has a wide-ranging, long-term agreement with the NCAA for enhanced coverage of 22 NCAA Championships.

2010 NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championships Schedule
Date
Time (ET)
Event
Networks
Fri, Mar 19
10:30 a.m.
Quarterfinals
ESPNU HD / ESPN360.com

7 p.m.
Semifinals
ESPNU HD
Sat, Mar 20
11 a.m.
Championship Medal Round
ESPNU HD

7:30 p.m.
Finals
ESPN HD / ESPN360.com / ESPN Mobile
NCAA Tourney Special "STROBEL: Stories From A Life With Wrestling"

My recent book, "STROBEL: Stories From A Life With Wrestling" has been receiving high praise, such as this quote from legendary wrestling writer and promoter Mike Chapman in W.I.N. magazine -

"I highly recommend this new book to anyone who wants to learn about the inner workings of wrestling at the highest levels..."

If you have not already purchased this book of compelling stories about Greg Strobel's more than 40 years in all facets of amateur wrestling, here is a special deal for you over the next week or so.

1. If you are attending the Division I NCAA championships in Omaha, Greg Strobel and Jamie Moffatt (author) will be stopping by the W.I.N. Memorabilia show at the Nationals to personally sign your book which will be available for sale there at $19.95.

2. If you are not attending the NCAAs in Omaha, for the next ten days you can receive the book by mail - with free shipping. Just send your check or money order for $19.95 to the author at 806 Sewell Ave., Cape May, NJ 08204 This offer is good up until March 21 only.
Building the Base....Another Giant Step Towards Statewide Competitiveness Beat the Streets Kids at States

This past weekend, the BTS-New York City program traveled with a contingent of 85 middle school wrestlers to Union Endicott HS in Binghamton, to participate in its inaugural statewide competition sponsored by NY-USA Wrestling's at the 2010 Kids Folkstyle State Championship.

The competition opened on Saturday with the Novice and Intermediate age groups. 7 BTS novice wrestlers placed. At 120 Pounds Yshiem Hicks of MS 72 took 2nd, Isaiah Forde of Wagner took 3rd, and John Volpetti of the Lions took 5th. at 130 Pounds Matthew Quinones of Baruch took 4th. At 140 pounds Cameron Chapelle of the Harlem Jets finished in 3rd and his teammate Jacob Folayan 5th.

BTS took home its 1st state title of the weekend at 165 pounds where Elijah Scott of the Harlem Jets placed 1st.

On Sunday in the schoolboy division, 8 BTS wrestlers earned state medals. At 136 pounds Shateek Palmer of Roosevelt Island placed 5th and Alex Palmer of Seth Low placed 6th. At 144 pounds Cooper Weaver of the Giants placed 6th. At 175 pounds BTS placed 3 wrestlers in the top 5, Rich Sisti of Monsignor Farrell placed 1st, Bryant Mora of MS 577 placed 3rd and Alexis Solano of MS 577 placed 5th. Finally at 190 pounds Pavel DeBruskin of RKA took 3rd and Kevin Zhang of Baruch placed 6th.

Brian Giffin (President & Executive Director) reported to the Board of Directors "NYC first state champions crowned this past weekend. Huge weekend for BTS...........85 kids, 15 coaches, 15 place winners including 2 State Champs!

The past few weeks have led us to this point with intensive training and dedication from both coaches and kids. I must say, one of the most gratifying weeks of work leading up to Kids States.

We're rolling right into our FS season that will be launched with our FS clinic on March 27, Brandon Slay (USA Wrestling National Resident Coach -2000 Olympic Champion) and Zeke Jones (USA national Team Coach-World Champion Olympic Silver Medalist) as our headliners.

We have 14 programs dedicated to the expansion of FS and Greco/Roman wrestling. Anticipate several hundred kids on the mat ranging from 6th to 12th grade. Girls team is also wrestling away and taking the region by force, Steve Flannigan and Cheryl Wong, leading the efforts."

190 Kevin Zhang Baruch 6th
Richard Magarian is in the NFHS National High School Hall of Fame

Dominating would be the best term to describe Richard Magarian's tenure as wrestling coach at Coventry (Rhode Island) High School. During his 34 years at Coventry (1962-96), Magarian compiled a 239-26 record and led his teams to 11 state championships. In addition, during some years while serving as the school's assistant principal, Magarian was an assistant coach and was a part of eight other state championship teams. Overall, during his tenure at the school, Conventry won 19 state and 22 league championships, including 14 consecutive state titles.

During the 1980s, Coventry High School was ranked first in the nation and voted "Team of the Decade" by USA Wrestling. Magarian was co-founder of the Wrestling USA of Rhode Island and has directed the Rhode Island Interscholastic League (RIIL) state wrestling championships since 1972. He has been inducted into the Rhode Island Wrestling Hall of Fame, the New England Wrestling Hall of Fame and the RIIL Hall of Fame. In addition to serving as teacher, coach and assistant principal at Coventry, Magarian eventually became the school's principal. Since 1996, Magarian has served as assistant executive director of the RIIL.
NCAA T-shirts

Coach Beckerman is in the process of ordering shirts for our fans to wear in Omaha. If you are interested in purchasing a shirt, please contact Coach Beckerman right away by email tfb@umd.edu or call 301-314-6677.
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Preservation of California Collegiate Wrestling

The Committee for the Preservation of California Collegiate Wrestling is proud to announce a partnership between SCW (Save California Wrestling) and Cary Kolat. The SCW-Kolat partnership displays Carey's total commitment for the sport of wrestling. C.P.C.C.W. co-founder Ernie Ciaccio stated "while Cary grew up in Pennsylvania and did his wrestling in High School and College there, when he found out what we were doing at SCW through our site www.savecaliforniawrestling.com he asked what he could do to help." The partnership will provide a discount to all members of the C.P.C.C.W. who utilize Kolat's instructional and mentoring website www.kolat.com. The Kolat organization is donating a large portion of any revenue derived from the partnership back to the endowment. The C.P.C.C.W. and Kolat are currently in discussions on additional avenues in which Cary can help save and endow wrestling at the Collegiate level in California. When questioned on what type

of additional events that Cary will participate in Ciaccio stated, " Cary has made it clear that his goal is to advance Wrestling and to play a key role in our mission of helping us secure, advance, and endow our Collegiate programs here in California. Judging from our conversations Cary has not put any boundaries on his level of commitment to the SCW project.Title IX Letter to CA Lieutenant Governor Garamendi

My name is Ernest Ciaccio and I represent my fellow members of the Committee for the Preservation of California Collegiate Wrestling. I also know that I adequately express the feelings of hundreds of thousands of Californians who make up our current Wrestling community. These Californians are current and former coaches, competitors, and in many cases life long fans of Wrestling. I have spent the last nineteen years of my adult life amongst my wrestling brethren, and believe that they make up the greatest fraternal organization in the world. I have witnessed countless lives that have been changed as a direct result of Wrestling and the character traits that our sport helps to instill in its participants. While our sport has born Presidents, Politicians, Judges, Doctors, and many other successful members of society the opportunity to participate in Wrestling at the collegiate level has declined over the last forty years.

I know that you share both our pain and frustration. As a champion wrestler for the University of California at Berkley in 1964 you became part of a legacy that is on the verge of being destroyed. One of wrestling's greatest ambassadors, Bill Martell, was forced to break his promise to athletes as the program he guided for fifteen years while employed at the University of California at Berkley was discontinued in 1979. Over the last four decades countless other programs have been lost at the Community College and NCAA levels. We in the Wrestling community have followed your career closely, always admiring your vision and willingness to affect change in our great state. We understand that a career in public service is often challenging. We also know that being elected by the people, to serve the people provides an opportunity to create a lasting impact on society.

It has been over forty five years since you completed your championship quest on the mat, and now we ask you to champion a new cause while fighting an old foe. In doing so you will preserve not only your legacy but ours as well. While phrases like Title IX, gender equity, and proportionality testing have never been popular inside the state building in Sacramento we ask you to call for reform. In 1774 there were many phrases spoken that were unpopular and believed to be sure political suicide, however in 1776 the United States of America was founded on those former ill conceived tenets. Nearly two hundred and fifty years later we find ourselves once again needing fearless leaders to address what many agree are uncomfortable misnomers of the past. Today we find the last of our NCAA Wrestling programs facing discontinuation due to Title IX under the cover of the states current budget crisis. A perfect example of this discriminatory action can be found on
the campus of California State University at Bakersfield, where the President of the University has said that the Wrestling program will be discontinued at the conclusion of this season. The President based his decision on a lack of overall funding from the state that is affecting many departments within the University. When approached by supportive and compassionate community members such as our organization, willing to self fund the Wrestling program in order to alleviate some of the burden of the state the President expressed that all sports being discontinued would be required to be funded in order for the Wrestling program to be reinstated. The reason given for the all or none funding requirement was a need to satisfy gender equity ratios.

California is home to more than one hundred thousand youth wrestlers, with over twenty five thousand participants at the high school level alone. Statistically California's participation in Wrestling is the highest in the country nearly doubling Illinois, Ohio, and New York. California maintains just five state sponsored Wrestling programs that compete at the NCAA level. The fate of these five programs is feared to hinge on the sustainability of one another due to conference participation, funding, and decreasing support at the higher education administrative level. Many fear if the program at California State University at Bakersfield is discontinued as planned it will set in motion a domino like effect resulting in the loss of the remaining four programs. In addition the talent rich high school programs in California's Central Valley will no longer have a program for local student athletes that wish to stay close to home. Woman's wrestling is
currently growing at a rapid pace across the nation. This trend is especially apparent in California where multiple World Champions and Olympic hopefuls call home. The Committee for the Preservation of California Collegiate Wrestling has developed a detailed plan to assist in the financial needs of our current state sponsored Wrestling programs, to advance Woman's Wrestling at the NCAA level, and to ensure that the legacies of wrestlers past, present, and future are protected.

We ask you to become our advocate in Sacramento both as our Lieutenant Governor and as a Regent of the University of California and Trustee for the California State University System. We understand the financial challenges that the state currently is facing, and will burden the cost of maintaining the five state sponsored programs at the NCAA level alone. We will also submit a roadmap to your office outlining our plan for the advancement of Woman's Wrestling at the five state sponsored institutions. In closing I ask that you host a conference with myself and fellow board members to form a structured plan eliminating current discriminatory policies being instituted at state sponsored institutions such as California State University at Bakersfield. We look forward to assisting your office in drafting a solution that will divert a life changing event for the student athletes currently in jeopardy of being discriminated against. These discriminatory
actions are a bi-product of failed legislative policy spanning nearly four decades. Since 1972 individuals and organizations have successfully argued in court against Title IX. While judges admit Title IX to be injurious and ironically discriminatory few public servants at the state level or in Washington D.C. have ever been in favor of legislating any kind of reform. We are asking you Lieutenant Governor to create a solution that Title IX was originally meant to deliver. In doing so you will not only cement our collective legacies, but more importantly you will have a lasting impact on society.

Co-Founder of The Committee for the Preservation of California Collegiate Wrestling
Camp of Champs America's Most Unique Wrestling Camps!

Feature Article Posted - "Game Time"
Crunch time is really coming fast now. We have
enjoyed seeing many of you - our campers and
friends - rise in the state level rankings throughout
the season. And now we are only moments away
from the matches that finalize the season.

The current Feature Article
Game Time
follows up our last article
Warning - For Champions Eyes Only
That article dealt with the weeks leading up to
tournament time, but tournaments are here - ready
or not - and we need to focus on what can be
done in the last moments and days before the battle.

To check out the newest Feature Article, click
Game Time
In it, you will find how to get your mind and body
ready to be a Fierce Champion when it matters most!

2010 Camp Information Online
Dates and information for each 2010 wrestling camp
is now posted at www.campofchamps.org

You can register directly online for the camp of your
choice or download the Early Bird Flyer on the
homepage and get $30 off the registration fee if
done before March 15!!

Spring Freestyle/Greco Wrestling Retreat!!!
The two day wrestling retreats in the spring and fall
have been a huge hit! Some of the best wrestlers in
the state have joined us for an intense time of training
the week before the Freestyle/Greco State Tournaments.

The coaching comes at you hard and fast with plenty
of crazy Camp of Champs style games thrown in to
keep you on your toes.

Bring your whole team or just come to get a jump on
next year's competition. Click 2010 Spring Retreat
InterMat Rewind Article: A Saint in the City2/10/2010

Mark Palmer, InterMat Staff Writer

It sounds like something out of a movie: self-described "corn-fed white guy" from a small town in Washington State becomes wrestling coach in an inner-city high school with a 98% Hispanic population outside Los Angeles. He has to deal with challenges such as wrestlers who don't show up for practice, blow off dual meets and tournaments to visit family or for similarly lame reasons, and put up with parents who don't see the value in their kids being involved in any extra-curricular activity, let alone wrestling. All in a community that was grappling with poverty, drugs, gang activity, undocumented workers, and other societal challenges.

This story is not from movie ... but it is the real-life experience of Scott Glabb, head wrestling coach at Santa Ana High School in California. Coach Glabb tells his story in the brand-new book, A Saint in the City: Coaching At-Risk Kids To Be Champions, published by Tate Publishing.

When Glabb came to Santa Ana in 1990, he inherited a program that was flat on its back. Here's the opening paragraph of A Saint in the City:

Scott Glabb
Seventy-two to zero. That was not a score. It was a massacre. Christians fed to lions, Reagan over Mondale, Custer at Little Big Horn. It seemed like more than mere cross-town wrestling rivals facing off in a hot Orange County, California gym.

As I sat on the bench, watching the slaughter through the cracks of my fingers, I knew I had a long, difficult road ahead. The humiliation that ran through my body, coupled with embarrassment, told me that the coaching gig at Santa Ana High School would prove much more challenging than I expected.

After the match, a lone fan from the crowd consoled me, "You can always look at the bright side; you could have lost seventy-eight to zero."

That is the highest possible margin of defeat in a dual meet in high school with thirteen weight classes.

That was just one loss in Glabb's first season at Santa Ana in 1990. That year, his team compiled an 11-16 record.

"God spoke to me," said the long-time wrestling coach. "He said, 'You are never going to win.'" I gave up on the idea of winning, and instead, decided to invest in the kids, helping them in character building, developing their spiritual side, making them better individuals. I threw my life into these kids."

Scott Glabb's investment in his wrestlers paid off. By his third season at Santa Ana, the Saints wrestling team won the league title ... and, in the 20 seasons since arriving at the school, Glabb has coached state and national champions.

Just to be clear, A Saint in the City is not a how-to manual to guide coaches on how to turn around a struggling program. At least not in the technical sense of providing pointers on running a practice, or what workout techniques work best to turn out champions. Instead, it is the story of the individual journeys of a young coach who had been battling depression ... and wrestlers who overcame various challenges of their own to find redemption in wrestling, and for their lives beyond the mat.

Scott Glabb discovered wrestling in seventh grade in Vancouver, Washington, thanks to neighbor kids who had gone out for the sport. His first year, he won one match -- "and that was in the practice room," according to the Santa Ana coach.

"I loved wrestling, and really needed it," Glabb continued. "My parents were going through a divorce, and I was dealing with self-esteem issues."

Glabb won a league championship in high school, and took up freestyle wrestling, too. He went to Pacific University, where he wrestled a couple years.

Glabb transferred to Eastern Washington University, where he continued to wrestle, and did some coaching. He earned a bachelor's degree and a master's, and his Washington State teaching certificate.

He was drawn to southern California to be closer to his girlfriend at the time, and, once settled, became head wrestling coach at Marina High School in upscale Huntington Beach. However, dealing with his own depression and lack of experience as a high school coach -- and frustration in dealing with some athletes who did not share his commitment to the sport -- Glabb resigned, and, in the fall of 1990, took the head coaching job at Santa Ana, a school that was 180 degrees different than Marina.

"It's a real blessing to have had the wrestling career I had, to prepare me to be the coach I was to become."

Here's how the 47-year-old Glabb described himself -- and his situation at Santa Ana High -- in A Saint in the City:

I came from the old-school command style approach of coaching: I call the shots, you do what I say, and don't question me. I always stressed dedication, discipline, commitment, and hard work for success as an athlete. These words were light years away from my team's vocabulary."

As I worked with them over the months, the wrestling room became a haven. A place that attracted the lost and lonely on campus, the talentless and clumsy, as well as the corrupt, the angry, and the misguided. In fact, wrestling their opponents was effortless compared to the real matches they faced off the mat ...

The prime focus of A Saint in the City isn't on Coach Glabb, but on the wrestlers at Santa Ana High School.

Left to Right: Jose Leon, Alex Becerra, Fernado "Rat" Serratos, Scott Glabb, Roger Santiago, (Kneeling) Miguel Valencia, Froilan Gonzales and Alfonso "Bubba" Perez, (Back) Alex Perez
At the beginning of the book, Glabb describes Santa Ana High as being a beautiful old building, constructed in the late 1800s, "cleaner than most suburban high schools." Then he paints an overall picture of the neighborhood as it was in the 1990s, an area where drug deals and random gang violence were such an integral part of the landscape, some parents would not permit their sons to walk home after wrestling practice.

Most of the book is devoted to individual profiles of some of the most notable wrestlers ever to wear a Saints singlet. Some are notable for their considerable on-the-mat accomplishments, while, for others, the glory has come since, in their lives after high school.

Glabb tells the story of each wrestler as he remembers him on his team, then concludes each profile with a concise "Reflections" write-up that gives the reader an idea of what that individual ultimately meant to the coach -- how that wrestler touched Glabb's life beyond wrestling.

If the book can be boiled down to an overarching theme, it would be one of overcoming considerable odds to achieve great things in wrestling -- and beyond. Most of Scott Glabb's wrestlers had never seen a wrestling mat until coming into Santa Ana High's wrestling room. Most of their parents had no experience as athletes themselves, so they were not necessarily the most supportive in terms of their sons' wrestling careers. (In the book and in the interview for this article, Glabb provided examples of parents' indifference, such as taking their kids out of wrestling events to visit family ... or not bothering to attend state tournaments, even when provisions for their travel were offered.)

Here's an excerpt from the book that sums up coach Glabb's attitude toward his wrestlers:

My hope as a coach and educator is to see more people in my profession drawn to work in inner-city, urban schools. So many of us have a fairytale picture of working in the best schools and coaching the best teams. We think of how much it would do for our self-esteem if we have successful students and athletes.

I have taught and coached high schools from one end of the socio-economic conditions to the other and I can honestly say I have gotten more satisfaction and pride from teaching and coaching those students who were challenged and at a disadvantage than I did from working with those who had it all. To see miraculous metamorphosis of individual from the time they entered the ninth grade to the day they graduate and to know I was a part of that change is the most gratifying and remarkable feeling one can have.

Scott Glabb is a man of faith. Not just in terms of having faith in his wrestlers' ultimate success ... but in terms of having a personal relationship with God.

Glabb became a born-again Christian at age 13. That was about the time his parents were going through a divorce.

Santa Ana wrestlers on summer trip to Washington State in 1995
"I was going to a Catholic church, but really going through the motions," Glabb disclosed in the interview for this article. "My sister was going to a little church across the street. I really liked the pastor, and came to join that church."

"Kids at Santa Ana, a lot of them were lost. I took some of them to church, or introduced them to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes."

When asked if there were any concerns expressed by parents or school administrators about bringing faith into a public high school wrestling program, Glabb immediately answered, "We had a shooting in the crosswalk in front of the school, gangs on campus."

Then he added, "I was doing these activities after class, and after practice. It was all strictly voluntary, no pressure to participate ..."

"No one said a thing to me ... Most parents came from a Catholic background, so they did not have an issue with what we were doing."

"I started writing in 1999," Scott Glabb disclosed. "At the time, our team doctor liked what we were doing, and encouraged me to write a book, to share our story with others."

But that questioning didn't stop the Saints coach. "I did interviews, looked back at newspaper coverage."

"I worked with a ghostwriter (John Scott Lewinski) who typed the manuscript, and provided some direction as to how to organize it."

"I had a publishing deal but waited 4-5 years while a movie deal was in the works," continued Glabb, reinforcing the notion that his story as coach at Santa Ana High School sounded like something out of a Hollywood film. "However, that hasn't come through, so we went ahead with our original publisher."

Asked if there were any issues that have sprung from the book being published, Glabb responded, "I haven't received any negative feedback about it. I thought there might be some, especially since Santa Ana has changed a lot since I arrived in the early 1990s."

"Santa Ana wrestling has developed a reputation for tough wrestlers. I wanted to tell their stories, let people know what these kids went through ... There aren't a lot of wrestling programs in inner-city schools."

Even if the real-life story of a small-town coach transforming the wrestling program at an inner-city high school has yet to be made into a movie, the results seem to be straight out of a feel-good summer blockbuster.

In 1993, the Saints won their first league title
At the direction of coach Scott Glabb, the Santa Ana High School wrestling program has come a long way in the past two decades since that 11-16 season in 1990. In 1993, the Saints won their first league championship, followed by sixteen more league titles in a row. Glabb's teams have also won eleven CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) titles, with 23 individual CIF champs, 48 state qualifiers, and 15 state placers. He can also claim two national championship wrestlers: Tony Perez in 1998, and Jose Leon in 1999. Overall, the Saints have compiled a 312-56 record under Glabb.

Perhaps more significantly is the difference the program has made in the lives of so many individuals and their families. Before stepping into the wrestling room, many of the athletes profiled in A Saint in the City appeared to be headed in the wrong direction ... yet redirected themselves into productive careers with rewarding family lives.
Glabb's Book: A Saint in the City Glabb's Book

Coaching At-Risk Kids to Be Champions
by Scott Glabb

"With time running out, he had to chase his man down at the center of the mat before locking up again. His opponent blocked his move, maintaining his lead with less than ten seconds left. José lunged in for a front headlock and used all his strength, calling on all his hours of training and conditioning. I watched the final second tick away as José became a national wrestling champion.
In A Saint in the City: Coaching At-Risk Kids to Be Champions, Scott Glabb shares his inspiring wrestling experiences from years of coaching the boys of Santa Ana High School with little hope for success, let alone a bright future. They had no prayer of a win, but Coach Glabb roused his athletes to bravely overcome their disadvantages to raise their school from being the pariah of Southern California wrestling to one of the most respected athletic programs in California. A Saint in the City openly describes the crime-ridden lives of athletes who didn't even hope for more until they started wrestling and found a coach who stirred them to greatness. Through Coach Glabb's reflections and his athletes' own words, A Saint in the City chronicles the tribulations and triumphs of one team that wrestled for victory."

220 pages - $18.99 (paperback)

This item usually ships within 5 to 7 days (though it can take a few days longer if additional copies need to be manufactured).

1-888-361-9473 ext. 26
Wrestlers are 16 Times More Likely to be Exposed to MRSA During Tournament Season

Parents, Coaches and Trainers Have a Major Role in Education and Prevention

NORCROSS, GA (Jan. 29, 2010) - As high school and college wrestlers return to the mats in preparation for February tournaments and post-season championships, their risk for the skin infection Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) increases significantly. In fact, wrestlers that participate in tournaments and teammates of wrestlers who participate in tournaments are 16 times more likely to be exposed to MRSA.<>[i]

An analysis by Molnlycke Health Care shows that based on a potential MRSA colonization rate of 25 percent,<>[ii] the average number of matches each wrestler participates in at a tournament (three) and the number of wrestlers exposed to the tournament wrestler when he or she returns to a practice room (six), the potential exposure rate of MRSA from the tournament increases by approximately 16. As an illustration, the 1,200 wrestlers who attended the recent wrestling national duals had as many as 16,200 MRSA exposures (see table 1 for further details).

With more than 250,000 high school wrestlers<>[iii] and 6,000<>[iv] collegiate wrestlers in the U.S., parents, coaches and trainers are an integral part of providing education, awareness and prevention support to help stop the spread of deadly skin infections such as MRSA.

"We understand the importance of keeping our coaches and their wrestlers educated and aware of skin infections, especially during this important championship season," said Mike Moyer, executive director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). "Last week, we provided our members with simple, practical tips to help decrease their wrestlers' chances of MRSA infection."

Tips provided by the NWCA and Molnlycke Health Care include:
· Wrestlers should shower with an antimicrobial antiseptic soap that contains chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) prior to the start of the tournament.
· If a shower is not reasonable, at least have wrestlers wash hands, arms and face with an antimicrobial antiseptic soap that contains CHG prior to wrestling. This represents the primary areas of skin to skin contact during the match.*
· Use wipes that contain CHG between or during the match when water is not available.

Molnlycke Health Care manufactures and distributes Hibiclens®, an antiseptic antimicrobial skin cleanser that contains four percent CHG. Hibiclens binds to the skin and continues to actively kill germs for up to six hours without leaving a residue. This is just one way to protect skin between and during competition.

"Hibiclens has become an integral part in our wrestling program at West Virginia University. It is the first line of defense for the prevention of skin-related diseases that are so common to our sport. Our wrestlers have seen first-hand the effectiveness of Hibiclens by showering with it on a daily basis after practice. We have seen a significant drop in the number of our practices and matches lost to skin diseases," said Kevin Kotsko, assistant athletic trainer, West Virginia University.

Wrestlers are at higher risk for skin infections than other athletes due to the constant skin-to-skin contact and exposure to cuts, sores, bodily fluids and shared equipment, such as mats. MRSA is spread through direct skin contact or contact with shared items or surfaces that have come in contact with the bacteria. MRSA infections are usually manifested as skin infections, such as pimples and boils that are red, swollen and painful.

"We know through clinical testing and from wrestlers themselves that washing with a cleanser that contains CHG prior to a wrestling match can dramatically reduce MRSA infections5," said Jack Doornbos, executive director, Molnlycke Health Care.

While Hibiclens can be purchased in bulk through distributors nationwide, it is also now available over-the-counter at drug stores and pharmacies in the first aid section. Additionally, Hibistat® provides the same cleanser with alcohol in a wipe format for on-the-go needs. For more information about Hibiclens, Hibistat or CHG or to download free educational materials about MRSA and sports, visit hibiclens.com/athletes.html.
* Avoid contact with the eyes, ears, and mouth when using Hibiclens on the face.

Table 1: Potential Wrestler Exposure to MRSA Based on Tournament Involvement

Exposure to MRSA at Tournament such as National Duals
Number of Wrestlers
1,200
Estimated Average MRSA Colonization Rate for Wrestlers2
25%
Total Wrestlers Carrying MRSA
300
Number of Matches per Wrestler
3
Exposures at Tournament
900
Return to the Practice Room
Number of Wrestlers From Primary Group
3
Additional Exposures
2,700
Number of Additional Wrestlers in Secondary Live Group (2x3)
6
Total Exposures from One Tournament
16,200
Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum Newsletter Upcoming Events

A reminder that there is still time to attend the Coe-Cornell breakfast social on Friday, February 5 at the Marriott Hotel in Cedar Rapids. The breakfast begins at 8:30 a.m. with a short program beginning at 9 a.m.

Barron Bremner, former coach at Coe and Cornell, will be the honored guest. Coe
coach John Oostendorp and Cornell coach Mike Duroe will be speaking at the breakfast.

The breakfast will take place in advance of the Coe-Cornell dual meet which is taking place at the Richard and Norma Small Multi-Sports Center on the campus of Cornell in Mount Vernon at 7 p.m.

For more information, or to attend the breakfast, call the museum at (319) 233-0745, e-mail orders@wrestlingmuseum.org, Cost of the breakfast is $15.

The University of Northern Iowa wrestling team, in conjunction with the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum, will be hosting "Throwback Night" for the Feb. 14 dual against North Dakota State.

All fans are encouraged to dig out their classic 70's clothing and dress up as we remember the 1970's! UNI will host "Throwback Night" as part of their longstanding rivalry with North Dakota State.

The dual meet begins at 7 p.m. at the historic West Gym on the campus of the Northern Iowa.
Date Conflict With Wrestling Classic "Dapper Dan" and the NCAA Wrestling Championships

Committee Members and friends,

It will be a natural reaction for people to question the intelligence of the Wrestling Classic Committee for scheduling the WC on the same weekend as the NCAA Division I Championships. It is very important we proactively explain this unfortunate situation and the circumstance outside our control. I've gotten some calls on the date conflict and many changed their temperment once I explained the situation. I've asked Bruce to post the following message on our web site.

The Wrestling Classic is Saturday night, March 20, 2010, the same weekend as Division I NCAA Championships because of limited availability of the Pitt Field House this year. The date options were very limited because the Pitt Women's Basketball Team is hosting Round 1 & 2 of the regional playoffs.

The Wrestling Classic Committee will provide updates throughout the evening on the outcome of the NCAA Championships. We appreciate your understanding to this unfortunate date conflict. The committee doesn't anticipate a date conflict next year.

I spoke with Rande Stottlemyer at Pitt and others asking them to help explain this unfortunate situation with his peers and the wrestling community if/when it is appropriate.

Ron, Cody, Norm, Joe, Stats, etc. We appreciate your help communicating this message as you see fit. The Wrestling Classic Committee made the best decision we could with the cards we were delt this year. FYI. The committee did investigate other venues, but the size, cost, dates, etc. where not conducive for the Wrestling Classic. In addition, the Pitt FH was very, very late in confirming available dates because they needed confirmation from the NCAA on things.

Suggestions:
1. Committee, please be sure you explain the reason for the date conflict when talking with our USA and PA nominees.
2. Rich and Lou, please make sure your NY nominee's understand the date conflict.
3. Frank, can you share this message via a mass email to your PowerAde contacts?
4. Ron, can you share this message via an email to the WPIAL coaches?

Please feel free to call Frank or myself with any questions or concerns.

Thanks you for your ongoing support of "The Rose Bowl of Wrestling".

Kraig
412-213-0688 - office
412-298-6831 - cell

Frank
412-298-5247
Maximize Your Strengths Through Steady Building: America's Most Unique Wrestling Camps

Steady Building

In wrestling, as in life, it is really tempting to begin thinking that a single killer move will solve all your problems. Or that one all-out training session will turn you into a champion. But lasting success in anything - wrestling, building friendships, providing financially for your future family - is best done over time.

Wealth gained in haste will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.
Proverbs 13:11

That is why your coaches urge you to practice every day, working on some of the same basic skills day after day. If you drill outside-singles every day, you are going to do outside-singles in the match. When you are wrestling someone who is your equal, and you desperately need to hit the opening in his defense that will turn the match in your favor, you will go right back to that killer outside-single you have been perfecting every day for the last few years.

You are not likely to try out the fireman's carry variation you just learned last week. And if you do, you probably know the results will be scary, especially if the other man is your equal.

Look at matches of our best collegiate and international wrestlers. Each of them is famous for one particular technique, or like Cael Sanderson and John Smith, for variations on a basic technique or idea. They found the movement skills they were really good at, and based almost all their takedowns, counters, counters to counters, and tie-ups off that strength.

Aristotle said "We are what we repeatedly do; excellence, then is not an act, but a habit."

Every day then, make a habit of practicing the things that are going to make you a champion in wrestling and in your life. If you, like me, struggle with procrastination, make a habit of doing something productive first thing in the morning.

As soon as you wake up (second best is last thing before bed), tackle something that is difficult but productive. Even if all you do is 100 pushups, or run a hard mile, or hit your best 2 moves in shadow wrestling style, or spend 2 minutes shadow wrestling and planning strategy, you will, over time, become amazing at that specific thing.

The morning is also a good time to get your mind ready for the day. Read an author who makes you think, study the Bible (especially the book of Proverbs) for wisdom to build on, or read about wrestling strategy.

When you go to camps and clinics or work with your buddies in the wrestling room, be on the lookout. Not just for the next "secret" move, but for how to build on the base you already have. Eventually, you will perfect a small handful of techniques that give you a well-balanced attack that you can use with total confidence.
NAIA All-Star Win American Airlines All-Star Challenge Over NCWA

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - The team of all-stars from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) opened the match with two falls, then posted four pins overall in winning its dual match, 39-3, over an all-star team from the National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) in the inaugural American Airlines All-Star Challenge at Warrior Coliseum. The event, held in conjunction with the 10^th annual Lone Star Duals, was a first-of-its kind event pairing both associations’ defending national champions or highest-ranked wrestlers in a dual-match format.

Aaron Wilcox of Dana College opened the event with a second-period pin of Aso Palani of Douglas College in the 125-pound bout. Wade Lowe of McKendree University added another fall at 133 pounds over Marcus Chevres of The Apprentice School for a 12-0 lead. Adam Manz of Dana scored a takedown in overtime to beat Mario Giordano of Northampton Community College in the 141-pound bout, and the NAIA All-Stars were on their way.

In one of the highlight bouts of the dual, Aaron Winning of McKendree pinned Will Harcum of Apprentice in 3:50 in the 165-pound match following an 8-7 first period with Winning in the lead. Both wrestlers were ranked first in their respective associations, and Winning was the defending national champion. In the next bout, Jameon Rush of Hastings University scored a takedown in the third overtime to come from behind and edge Kevin Bacci of West Chester University, 4-3.

Andrew Sanchez, the defending NAIA champion and top-ranked wrestler at 197 pounds, won a 3-0 decision from Joseph Silverman of MIT. Silverman is ranked second in the NCWA.

The NCWA earned its points from a 7-3 win by Peter Rose of Southern Virginia over Brandon Roehrich of Jamestown. Rose is the NCWA’s two-time defending national champion and a three-time NCWA All-American.

Complete results are below:

125 lbs. – Aaron Wilcox, Dana College (NAIA) def. Aso Palani, Douglas College (NCWA), by fall, 3:18

133 lbs. – Wade Lowe, McKendree Univ. (NAIA) def. Marcus Chevres, The Apprentice School (NCWA), by fall 2:53

141 lbs. – Adam Manz, Dana College (NAIA) def. Mario Giordano, Northampton CC (NCWA), 5-3

149 lbs. – Sam Schmitz, Lindenwood Univ. (NAIA) def. Dillon Evans, West Chester Univ. (NCWA), 4-3

157 lbs. – Peter Rose, Southern Virginia (NCWA) def. Brandon Roehrich, Jamestown Univ. (NAIA), 7-3

165 lbs. – Aaron Winning, McKendree Univ. (NAIA) def. Will Harcum, The Apprentice School (NCWA), by fall 3:50

174 lbs. – Jameon Rush, Hastings Univ. (NAIA) def. Kevin Bacci, West Chester Univ. (NCWA), 4-3 (3OT)

184 lbs. – Mark Peiffer, Dana College (NAIA) def. Richard Rippy, Central Florida (NCWA), by fall 5:38

197 lbs. – Andrew Sanchez, McKendree Univ. (NAIA) def. Joseph Silverman, MIT (NCWA), 3-0

285 lbs. – Willie Hernandez, Jamestown Univ. (NAIA) def. Corey Melinn, Grand Valley State (NCWA), 3-0

In an exhibition match following the All-Star Challenge, Central Oklahoma defeated the NCWA All-Stars, 28-6.

Les Gutches Named Director of Program Development for USA Wrestling

Les Gutches of Corvallis, Ore. has been named to the new position of Director of Program Development for USA Wrestling, the national governing body for wrestling in the United States.

Gutches, who has a strong business background and a lifetime in wrestling as an athlete and coach, will be responsible for developing new or expanded programs, events and activities for USA Wrestling. He will work closely with state associations to increase membership and programs in underdeveloped markets in all styles of the sport. He will also expand strategic partnerships with other organizations, and assist in promotion and marketing activities.

He will also oversee the State Services staff of the organization, and work with a talented team which includes Manager of State Services Tony Black, Membership Services Assistant Shonna Vest, Manager of Coaches Education Cody Bickley and State Services Assistant Marge Civil.

"Les Gutches has an incredible reputation for integrity and performance," said Rich Bender, USA Wrestling Executive Director. "He is a tremendous motivator, a wonderful father, a respected coach and one of our greatest champion athletes. His presence, leadership and work ethic will take USA Wrestling membership to new heights. We are excited to welcome Les Gutches to our team and are confident that his efforts will impact the entire wrestling community."

Gutches will begin at his new job at the USA Wrestling corporate headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colo. on February 1.

"I have been involved with USA Wrestling from my time as a PeeWee wrestler through the Senior level. I also went into coaching and remained active in the organization," said Gutches. "To come back with the opportunity to help grow USA Wrestling and the sport in general is an exciting prospect to me. I have been in the business world for a number of years and am very excited to return to wrestling. I'm going to have the opportunity to combine my passion for the sport with an ability to apply my professional and academic experience. This is the perfect place for me."

Gutches comes to USA Wrestling after serving as four years as a commercial lender and credit analyst for Citizens Bank, Inc. in Corvallis. Among his duties was to generate and develop new business relationships for the company, as well as assisting business clients in measuring performance and strategic decision making.

He received a Masters of Business Administration from the Oregon State University's College of Business in 2006, where he was a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society. His undergraduate degree at Oregon State was in Anthropology with a minor in German Language and Literature. He was a three-time NCAA First-Team Academic All-American as an undergraduate.

He served eight years as an assistant wrestling coach at Oregon State, helping build the Beavers into one of the nation's top programs. Gutches helped coach five athletes to NCAA All-American honors. In addition to athlete instruction, he had responsibilities that included business and alumni relations activities for the program.

He was also a club coach with the Orange Crush Wrestling Club, working with athletes from the university as well as the Corvallis community. Gutches has also been an active clinician for many years, teaching young athletes on many levels.

"Membership is the lifeblood of USA Wrestling. Our membership allows USA Wrestling to invest in and grow the sport at all levels. It is exciting to me that I can make an impact in an area that is so important to the organization. I see this as a position where I can make a difference in the sport on a daily basis," said Gutches.

As an athlete, Gutches grew up within the USA Wrestling system, competing on the local, state and national level for many years in Oregon. In fact, he was the first athlete to win USA Wrestling national titles in all five existing age group levels at the time - Cadet, Junior, Espoir, University and Senior. He competed in the World Championships on four age-group levels, as well. He won a Cadet World silver medal in 1989 and an Espoir World bronze medal in 1993. Gutches won three state high school titles at South Medford High School

Gutches had a remarkable career at Oregon State Univ., winning NCAA titles in 1995 and 1996, and placing fifth in the 1994 NCAA Championships. He received the Dan Hodge Trophy as the nation's top college wrestler in 1996.

He became one of the best U.S. freestyle athletes of his era. His top achievement was winning the gold medal at the 1997 World Freestyle Wrestling Championships in Krasnoyarsk, Russia at 85 kg/187.25 pounds. He added a World bronze medal in 1999.

After his senior year in college, Gutches won both the U.S. Nationals and Olympic Team Trials to make the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team. He placed seventh in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Ga.

Gutches won all of the major events on the international circuit, including 1999 World Cup, the 1999 Pan American Games and the 1998 Goodwill Games. He also captured five straight U.S. Nationals titles.

Gutches was inducted as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2009, and was a James E. Sullivan Award finalist in 1997. He was the 1997 Amateur Wrestling News Man of the Year, as well as Freestyle Wrestler of the Year for USA Wrestling and the U.S. Olympic Committee.
He and his wife Jennifer have two young children, Lexi (5) and Logan (2).

"I have been involved in wrestling clubs as a competitor and coach on the local, state and national levels," said Gutches. "I have seen firsthand what makes a great club. It all comes down to one thing - investment. For coaches, the most important resources they have to invest are their time and expertise. They invest in each of their wrestlers, to help them become the best athletes and individuals that they can. USA Wrestling is committed to investing in the success of its state organizations. We will look at everything, from how we market our programs to the product itself, and how to best serve all of our members."

Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum: Quarterly Breakfast Social in Cedar Rapids on Friday, February 5

The Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute & Museum is taking its breakfast social on the road. The event will take place on Friday, February 5th at The Marriott Hotel in Cedar Rapids and will be showcasing the wrestling programs of Coe College and Cornell College, who will be competing in their annual dual meet that night at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, IA at 7:00PM.

Head coaches Mike Duroe (Cornell) and John Oostendorp (Coe) will both be speaking at the breakfast.

Barron Bremner, who coached at both Coe and Cornell, will also be addressing the crowd.

Special guests will include Dan Gable and Mark Ironside.

The event is sponsored by Body Bar Systems.

Doors will open at 8:15 and breakfast will be from 8:30 - 9:00. The program will begin at 9:00 and will last until approximately 9:45.

Cost is only $15 per person and all proceeds will go to the Cornell and Coe wrestling programs. The Marriott is located at 1200 Collins Road NE, Cedar Rapids.

To RSVP, call the wrestling museum at 319-233-0745.

Please respond with any questions or comments.

Thank you for your continued support of the World's Oldest and Greatest Sport!
"STROBEL: Stories From A Life With Wrestling"- Free
Shipping

It's late December, which means wrestling season is shifting into high gear and wrestling stories are waiting to be read by the fire.

My latest book of stories,"STROBEL: Stories From A Life With Wrestling" , is receiving great reviews from the media, such as Amateur Wrestling News, Intermat and W.I.N. magazine. The book is divided into five chapters of stories - as told by Greg Strobel, his family and 30 wrestling-connected associates
The Oregon Years (1952-1983)
The USA Wresting Years (1983-1991)
The Foxcatcher Years (1991-1995)
The Lehigh Coaching Years (1995-2008)
The Post-Coaching Years (2008-2009)

I am selling the book for $19.95. For orders placed between now and Sunday, January 3, shipping is FREE!

To order a book, please send your check or money order to me at the address below and indicate if you would like me to sign the book and to whom it should be inscribed. I will mail your book(s) to you immediately upon receipt of payment. I also accept PayPal. My account is my email address: emoffatt@aol.com

ps- I still have copies of my earlier books, "Wrestlers At The Trials" and "A Turning Point" available; now just $10 per book when ordered with the STROBEL:Stories..... book.
Takedown Wrestling Media to Cover 47th Midlands

Championships on Dec. 29-30

Continuing one of the great traditions in collegiate wrestling, Northwestern is set to host the 47th edition of the Midlands Championships on Dec. 29-30 in Welsh-Ryan Arena. Among the former All-Americans included in this year's field is Northwestern's own Brandon Precin, who is aiming to defend his 125-pound Midlands title from a year ago.

Takedown Wrestling Media will again provide whistle to whistle coverage of the 2009 Midlands Championships. Our broadcast schedule will mirror that of the competition. Join Scott Casber and Steve Foster for the call. Should be a lot of fun and great wrestling action in this Holiday Classic. Our family at TDR will be dedicating this broadcast to the memory of our friend Adam Frey.

Visit NUsports.com for complete session-by-session scheduling, a weight-by-weight preview and for up-to-date tournament brackets throughout the two-day affair. Final seeding will be determined by the tournament committee and posted on NUsports.com on Monday evening and the tournament gets underway at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday. http://nusports.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/nw-2009-midlands-championships.html

Tune in to Takedownradio.com. We look forward to this tournament each year and hope you do as well.

Ken Kraft, the tournament director of the 2009 Midlands Championships, has announced the pre-tournament rankings for the event, which takes place at Northwestern University on Dec. 29-30. Although the final seeds for Midlands may extend beyond the top eight at each weight class, the tournament rankings reflect only the first eight wrestlers and are subject to change. Final seeding for the event will be determined on Monday, Dec. 28.

125:
1. Brandon Precin, Northwestern (UN)
2. Jarrod Garrett, Virginia Tech
3. Matt McDonough, Iowa
4. Andrew Long, Iowa State
5. Matt Steintrager, Central Michigan
6. Ben Kjar, Utah Valley State
7. Jason Lara, Oregon State
8. Jasen Borshoff, American

133:
1. Daniel Dennis, Iowa
2. Nick Fanthorpe, Iowa State
3. Scotti Sentes, Central Michigan
4. Steve Bell, Maryland
5. Tyler Graff, Wisconsin
6. Lou Ruggirello, Hofstra (UN)
7. Kyle Hutter, Old Dominion
8. Kelly Kubec, Oregon State

141:
1. Jimmy Kennedy, Illinois (UN)
2. Daniel LeClere, Iowa
3. Joey Slaton, Iowa (UN)
4. Alex Krom, Maryland
5. Tyler Nauman, Pittsburgh
6. Seth Ciasulli, Lehigh
7. Ryan Prater, Illinois
8. Montell Marion, Iowa

149:
1. Brent Metcalf, Iowa
2. Kyle Ruschell, Wisconsin
3. Kyle Borshoff, American
4. Kevin LeVally, Bucknell
5. Mario Mason, Minnesota
6. Anthony D'Alie, Central Michigan
7. Mitch Mueller, Iowa State
8. RJ Pena, Oregon State

157:
1. Steve Fittery, American
2. Jake Patacsil, Boiler Elite
3. Steve Brown, Central Michigan
4. Keegan Davis, Oregon State
5. Kyle John, Maryland
6. Conrad Polz, Illinois
7. Jake Deitchler, Minnesota
8. Colton Salazar, Purdue

165:
1. Andrew Howe, Wisconsin
2. Jon Reader, Iowa State
3. Ryan Morningstar, Iowa
4. Nick Marable, Missouri
5. Andy Rendos, Bucknell
6. Scott Winston, Rutgers (UN)
7. Nick Amuchasteui, Stanford
8. Bekzod Abdurakhmanov, Wash. WC

174:
1. Jay Borschel, Iowa
2. Ben Bennett, Central Michigan
3. Mike Letts, Maryland
4. Luke Manuel, Purdue
5. Jordan Blanton, Illinois
6. Duke Burke, Iowa State
7. Dorian Henderson, Missouri
8. Shane Riccio, Bucknell

184:
1. Max Askren, Missouri
2. Mike Cannon, American
3. Phillip Keddy, Iowa
4. John Dergo, Illinois
5. Mike Miller, Central Michigan
6. David Craig, Lehigh
7. Jerome Ward, Iowa State
8. Zach Giesen, Stanford

197:
1. Jake Varner, Iowa State
2. Hudson Taylor, Maryland
3. Travis Brandvold, Wisconsin
4. Wynn Michalak, Chippewa WC
5. Chad Beatty, Iowa
6. Brent Haynes, Missouri
7. Logan Brown, Purdue
8. Chad Hanke, Oregon State

285:
1. Aaron Anspach, Nittany Lion WC
2. Zak Rey, Lehigh
3. Dom Bradley, Missouri
4. David Zabriskie, Iowa State
5. Ryan Tomei, Pittsburgh
6. Mark Ellis, Missouri
7. DJ Russo, Rutgers
8. Ed Bordas, Rider
TDR this Week- Mark Branch, Barry Davis, Schlosser, Murphy, "JB" Bryant, Grenawalt

Happy Holidays wrestling fans-  TDR returns to the Brute adidas home studios for our 3rd show of December. Thanks to Steve Foster and Gary McCall for filling in for me last week. This week we prepare for the 47th Midlands Tournament of Champions at Northwestern University. Our broadcast times Tuesday and Wednesday will mirror that of competition. Check it out- its free courtesy of our great sponsors.

TDR This week-

9:05    Mark Branch- Head Coach of Wyoming's Cowboys will join us to talk about his team and the years competition and his conference.

9:20    Barry Davis- Head Coach of Wisconsin's Badgers. Redshirt freshman Tyler Graff has enjoyed a successful start to his Badger career. He is ranked ninth in the nation at 133 lbs., boasts an 8-2 record and is coming off a third place finish at the Cliff Keen Invite.Last season, Graff tallied an 18-2 record in open tournaments with his only losses coming at the hands of wrestlers ranked in the top-five for the weight class.

9:40    Kevin Schlosser Founder of BuckeyeWrestling.com. It's Kevin's mission to provide comprehensive year round coverage of the four NCAA division I Ohio wrestling programs with supplamental coverage of Ohio high school wrestling. BuckeyeWrestling.com is not affiliated with the Ohio State University, Kent State, Cleveland State, Ohio University; or the OHSAA, Big Ten, MAC, EWL or NCAA. It does however have its finger on the pulse of wrestling in Ohio.

9:50    Maureen Roshar Joins us from Clinton, Iowa's Wildrose Casino

10:05    Jeff Murphy- Kemin Wrestling Report Jeff will give us the view from his chair on the season and what to expect at the 2 major events looming, The Midlands and the National Duals.

10:20    Jason Bryant- USA Wrestling and theMat.com's new director of viral and social marketing and content. Jason will fill us in on his new job and the plans for the future.

10:40    Mychal Grenawalt - Executive Producer/Host of Matside Michigan Radio Show on various radio stations including Supertalk 1570 Flint Saginaw

Please note that Episode 37 of TDR TV is now up on all the top web sites around the country and is available for your viewing.   TDR every week! It's appointment Radio and TV! Join us at Takedownradio.com. America's Wrestling Radio Talk Show airs on Supertalk 1570 in Michigan, AM 1460 KXNO in Iowa and on a radio station near you or on line at many of our broadcast partners around the world including Livesportsvideo.com. TDR "the Radio Program" airs 9 AM to 11 AM CST every Saturday morning we look forward to having you listen. Thanks and Happy Holiday's!
Cliff Keen Announces Partnership with Big Ten Network

ANN ARBOR, MI – Cliff Keen Athletic announces a media partnership with the Big Ten Network for its Wrestling telecasts of the 2009-10 scholastic calendar. A staple in wrestling powerhouses for decades, the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based company is excited to showcase its wrestling-specific media to the Big Ten Network each week during the college season. The Big Ten Network boasts some of the premier wrestling dual meet match-ups each year, commencing with coverage of the Midlands tournament airing January 3rd at 7:00 PM.

The media plan includes commercial spots, on-air mentions, spotlights on Cliff Keen and their products each week, as well as a special feature and links on the bigtennetwork.com.

“We are very excited about this new partnership,” Tom Keen, Cliff Keen owner said. “We think that in conjunction with the launch of our new website, the network really gives us incredible visibility to an already astute audience of wrestling enthusiasts who tune in each week for the top Big Ten wrestling match-ups.”

For over 50 years, Cliff Keen has been the leading manufacturer of wrestling equipment and uniforms, serving the collegiate, high school, and international wrestling marketplaces, as well as the officiating market. In addition, Cliff Keen has long been a provider to dozens of nationally recognized collegiate wrestling programs and is the annual title sponsor of the Cliff Keen World Series of Wrestling events--amateur wrestling’s benchmark tournaments hosted across the country.

Cliff Keen Athletic is the namesake company of former University of Michigan wrestling coach Cliff Keen, who spent nearly a half-century as the school’s winningest wrestling coach and assistant football coach. The University of Michigan continues to host home wrestling meets in the historic Cliff Keen Arena, located on the Michigan campus.
I Am Dan Gable Apparel

We are taking pre-orders for the new "I Am Dan Gable" T-shirts (right). These short-sleeved black shirts range in sizes from youth medium to adult XXL. Cotton shirts are $18 and moisture resistant shirts are $23. Call (319) 233-0745 or e-mail orders@wrestlingmuseum.org to place an order.

The Midlands tournament is on December 29-30 in Evanston, Ill. We will have a booth set up both days. Stop by and check us out if you're attending.

The NWCA National Duals will be held at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on January 9-10. Dan Gable will be at the museum for pictures and autographs from 2-4 p.m. on Friday, January 8.

The Eastern Iowa Wrestling Officials Association meeting will be at the museum on Sunday, January 10 at 6 p.m.

Finally, the Northern Iowa Wrestling Booster Club will hold its monthly meeting at the museum on Wednesday, January 6. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. All are welcome to attend.
Last Call to Order Books of Wrestling Stories for Christmas

Christmas is just one week away. Are you still looking for a present that is inexpensive.... and perfect for that wrestler in your family - or coach that you know?... or YOU.

Try one of these books of wrestling stories that I have authored -

"STROBEL:Stories From A Life With Wrestling" - just published; getting rave reviews and it is just $19.95

"Wrestlers At The Trials" - won the award for Wrestling Publication of the Year in 2007 and is on sale now for only $10.

"A Turning Point" - book of stories published in 2003 about the 1953 NCAAs which were won by Penn State; written up very favorably in the New Yorker magazine. Limited inventory. Sells for $19.95

Shipping cost is $5 (Priority mail) for each order. Purchase several books and save.

Send your check or money order to me at the address below. I also accept PayPal - my contact is <mailto:emoffatt@aol.com>emoffatt@aol.com As soon as I receive your payment, I will immediately sign and ship your book(s). If I receive your payment by Monday, December 21, you will receive the book(s) you order before Christmas.

Happy Holidays,

Jamie Moffatt, author
806 Sewell Ave
Cape May, NJ 08204
Beat the Streets USA Wrestling Newsletter

The LOC, in conjunction with Philadelphia's Beat the Streets program, will also be hosting a Youth Clinic prior to the start of the championships. The goal of the clinic is to encourage kids to participate in wrestling so that they can benefit from the valuable lessons unique to the sport. Clinicians and coaches will include former NCAA Champions and Olympic medalists.

"Beat the Streets is a nationwide program designed to bring the sport of amateur wrestling to inner city youth across the country," explained Reina. "Launched successfully in many major cities across the country, including most recently in New York City, Beat the Streets delivers an introduction to our sport along with life skills and leadership development components."

The chairman of the Philadelphia LOC is Roger Reina, an Account Manager at Ticket Leap, Inc. and former head coach of the University of Pennsylvania wrestling team. Reina is considered the most successful coach in program history. In 19 seasons, he posted a career record of 205-106-6 and won eight Ivy League Championships. He is a member of the Penn Athletics Hall of Fame and the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Hall of Fame, and has received the National Wrestling Coaches Association Meritorious Service Award, the organization's highest honor. Reina, who has coached NCAA and Olympic Champions, also served as President of the National Wrestling Coaches Association.

"Like any great team, the formation of the LOC represents talented and motivated individuals who have come together with a common purpose - to host a record setting NCAA Wrestling Championships in Philadelphia," said Reina. "The LOC draws representatives from a broad constituency, including co-hosts Rider University and the MAAC, the Wachovia Center, and the Philadelphia Sports Congress, along with wrestling coaches and alumni leadership from area colleges."

Serving as honorary co-chairmen for the LOC are Bill Graham, Chairman of the Board/CEO of The Graham Company; Ira Lubert, Chairman and co-founder of Independence Capital Partners; John Middleton, CEO of Dock Street Capital and a partner of the Philadelphia Phillies; David Pottruck, Co-Chairman of High Tower; Dr. Mordechai Rozanski, President of Rider University; and Fred Shabel, Vice-Chairman of Comcast-Spectacor.
Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum Will Host its Quarterly Breakfast at 8 a.m. on Friday, December 4.

Kent Sesker here from the Dan Gable Wrestling Museum

Just a reminder that the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum will host its quarterly breakfast at 8 a.m. on Friday, December 4.

Jim Miller, legendary Wartburg College wrestling coach, will be speaking at 8:30. Wartburg College has won seven NCAA Division III Championships and 17 consecutive Iowa Conference Championships under Miller's regime.

Miller wrestled at Waterloo East and the University of Northern Iowa. Check out the pictures of Miller as a coach and athlete to the right.

Kyven Gadson and Michael Kelly will be recognized, as will the Cedar Falls men's cross country team. Gadson, a senior at Waterloo East, signed to wrestle for Iowa State. Kelly, a senior at Cedar Falls, will wrestle for the University of Iowa next season.

Please join us for our quarterly breakfast social and enjoy great conversation and fellowship. Bagels, donuts, fruit, coffee and juice will be provided.

What: Free quarterly breakfast social
When: Friday, December 4 at 8 a.m.
Where: Dan Gable Wrestling Museum located at 303 Jefferson St. in Waterloo
Who: Everyone is welcome

See you at the breakfast, and thanks for supporting the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum.
Saying Thank-you is Always In Season

Many of you are already into the wrestling season. Your coaches probably urged you through a tough pre-season and into the first opportunity to test yourself against the competition.

You and your teammates might have started the season with lots of energy and excitement. You might have done your best to get ready for the season. But now, you might be getting some nagging injuries already. You might have lost a match or two, homework and tests are still coming, and the season might be looking like a lot of work.

Many people in the Bible faced similarly stressful situations, and God gave them grace to look outside themselves to the people around them. A man named Paul wrote these words in a letter to church members in a city called Philippi.

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.
Philippians 1:3

From what we know, Paul was in prison at the time, and it was not the only time he was jailed and even beaten for what he believed. It does not appear that he spent a lot of time on positive self-talk and picking himself up by his bootstraps - that might have been a little hard to do in his current situation.

Instead, he chose to thank and encourage those who had invested in him, and to thank God for giving him people who invested in him through their encouragement and prayers. Simply acknowledging what these people had done gave Paul an emotional and spiritual boost and returned the favor to his readers.

You certainly have such people in your life. You have coaches who have worked to help you and your team be the best. Parents and relatives who get excited about your progress in sports, school and life. Teachers, principals, and janitors. Lunch workers and tutors. Teammates and friends. People often get overlooked as they go through their own struggles, and you have the power to Make Their Day with just a simple word or note!

Quick, write down the first person that comes to mind who invests in you. Now, write down a person who invests in you but might not be remembered by others.

You know as well as I do that some of those people aren't perfect. You may not like the way they do things, and you might think that they do not care for you much either. Guess what, God does not give us an excuse here.

Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.
Ephesians 5:4

As hard as it can be, you must not wait for the person to be perfect in order to thank them for the things that they have done to encourage, challenge and invest in you.

Stepping outside the normal mode in this way will Create a Synergy for the long term that will amaze you, and more importantly, please the God who made both you and the other person. He made us to need each other and build each other.

Quick, before you finish reading, write a quick note to the two people you thought of earlier. If appropriate, leave the note where they will find it in the middle of their work day, or just speak to them what is in the note. Examples below.

In the future, there will often be two separate sections for challenges from the Bible and Wrestling specific advice, but in this case, the challenge works for both. Your relationship with God should spill over into your relationship with others. And your ability to be a leader on your team and a blessing and encouragement to others will grow exponentially as you make a habit of giving thanks.

Special thanks to camper Joe Baca and others, whose habit of sending personal thank you notes already put a smile on my face and served as a reminder of the importance of the simple practice of giving thanks.

Don't let the habit die after Thanksgiving time is over or wait until awards banquets. It means more when it is not expected!

Examples of what you could say or write:

Thank you (using a person's name or title here is a big deal) for the time you put into helping us get better.

Thank you ___________ for doing your job with an extra touch of class. Our locker room is always sharp, or our wrestling room is always extra clean, etc.

Thank you °©°©°©°©___________ for having a ready smile every time I see you.

Just wanted you to know that I appreciate you challenging me to be my best. I really appreciated you teaching me _______________

Thank you °©°©°©°©°©___________ for going the extra mile to make some healthier food for me over thanksgiving so I could watch my weight, or for staying extra so we could get in that extra workout, or for going out of your way to get me to school or practice or work.

Tweak any of these to be group thanks, although do not substitute a thanks from the team for something that should come from you individually. Have fun with it, look for the less obvious people and their contributions and challenge your friends to do the same!
Hungry for Eden; The final journey of Kenny Cox

by Michael Copperman

On Aug. 14, we lost Eugene native Kenny Cox at the age of 31. Camping in remote areas of Kauai, Kenny had been drinking straight from the cold jungle streams and living off what he could gather with his hands. His immune system failed, and he died of acute hemorrhagic pneumonia and sepsis on the long route to the hospital, the car too slow to cross the treacherous 40 miles of Kauai’s rugged backcountry. His journey there, into the deep jungle, was long and complex, yet Kenny had few regrets. That was how he chose to live.

Much must be said about his extraordinary wrestling career: a three-time state champion, a five-time junior national champion, the nation’s top prep wrestler as a senior in high school. Ron Bellamy correctly called Cox “the best wrestler ever to come out of a Eugene high school,” but he could as well have said an Oregon high school, or an American high school. As a prep athlete, Kenny Cox may have been the greatest wrestler ever to set foot on a mat.

I would know: I was a wrestler two years younger, and every Tuesday and Thursday I wrestled him for two hours in the Oregon Wrestling room, a place (and a program) that no longer exists. He was short and powerful and impossibly strong for a lightweight, shirt tucked tight, his shock of blonde hair jutting from that blue Churchill headgear. What distinguished Kenny as an athlete was not his appearance or his natural skills; Kenny was beyond in attitude. He embodied the essence of a sport where there are no sticks or balls or hoops, nothing but an opponent to overcome through skill and force of will. He never let up, left nothing behind in every moment he wrestled. If he ever went out of bounds or came to the edge of the mat, he sprinted back to the center. In three years, I never once took him down — and he never once condescended to me by letting me.

Years later, when I was on Christmas break from Stanford, I drove an hour and a half to McKenzie High School and worked out with him and the team he coached there. His team was young and spirited, gave their all showing off for a visitor there in the dim, dusty loft above the basketball gym. Some were barefoot because, as Kenny explained, they were still new to the sport and couldn’t easily afford wrestling shoes. At the end of practice, the two of us squared off in front of his team. I was in peak condition then, and Kenny was out of formal competition, and I thought that maybe, finally, I’d get him. I was mistaken. Kenny’s raw ability was undiminished — indeed, only the year before he’d won another national championship in Greco-Roman. It was all I could do to avoid massacre — I danced and danced away.

Long after the disappointment of both our collegiate careers, I coached with Kenny at my old alma mater, South Eugene, where he was head coach for two years. Kenny had changed, seeking a post-wrestling identity. He had grown his hair to a great golden mane and taken up reading, bought a house he fixed up and rented out, sleeping in a teepee in the garden. As a coach, he tried to do something new: to teach those kids the essence of the sport without concern for wins or losses, to realize all that was good about wrestling that he felt he’d lost.

All that he asked of his kids was to give their all, to go without fear or restraint. He would not let the kids engage in extreme weight loss practices. He bought into none of the strategy and cheapness that so often accompanies the need to win. He brought in coaches who understood that ideal: a philosopher named Andre, a former Oregon wrestling standout named Brian Watson whom the kids nicknamed “Jesus” for the soundness of his advice and his long blonde beard, and former South Eugene state champion Gabe Hamel.

Each day, Kenny and Gabe and I would square off at the end of practice and wrestle with the kids, would push until all that existed was the move and counter and counter to that.
It was enough for me. It wasn’t enough for Kenny. That spring, he left the coaching to Gabe Hamel, rented his house out to folks who’d keep up the garden and started the Pacific Coast Trail in Washington.

A year later, walking downtown, someone called my name. I didn’t recognize the fellow who confronted me. His clothes were holed and faded, and his blue eyes glittered from behind a beard that hung to his collar and met his tangled halo of hair. His arms and hands were tanned brown, as were his bare feet. It took me a long time to realize it was Kenny. When we embraced, I felt how slight he’d become, this man who was once solid with muscle. I asked him how the Pacific Crest Trail had been.
“Great,” he said. “Pretty easy. But then I kept going in Mexico and got robbed.”

He explained how after those thousands of miles on foot, after all that country, he hadn’t been ready to stop, hadn’t known how to. He’d kept walking the coast, on roads, trails, along the playa whenever possible. Then, in little fishing town one night, he was held up at gunpoint and had everything stolen — his cards and ID, his money, his gear, everything but his shoes. He’d thought about quitting, but didn’t. He felt relieved that the last of what he had was gone. He took off his shoes and kept walking, dove in Dumpsters in tourist areas, begged pesos, picked up occasional work on fishing docks and construction sites. He made it all the way down the Baja Archipelago, over the red dirt and yellow sand, reached the end of that land and stood looking into the broadness of the ocean and wished he could keep going. But there was nowhere else to go, so he turned back. It had taken him a long time to return, a lot strange towns and strange jobs, a lot of good and bad people and lean, lean living.
“What were you trying to get to?” I asked.

He thought for a while, shook his head. “I don’t know. Just — something.”

It was that elusive something Kenny was still seeking in the remote Kalalau valley. He gathered fruit and edible plants, even ate grass once his canned food was gone, and slept on the ground, sometimes in tent and often under the stars. On a page devoted to memories of Kenny, David Watson (Brian’s brother) said of Kenny that “he was hungry for Eden. While the rest of us can justify our place in … [this] life, Kenny could not.”

It would demean his memory to suggest that Kenny was seeking death. His death was an accident. Kenny wanted to share what he’d found there on Kauai, or he wouldn’t have used the last of what he had, money the sale of his house, to have his parents and friends come visit him. What Kenny was seeking was meaning — a way to live. In his devotion to the search, he never lost integrity. That is a rare quality in this world.

Kenny lived fully. He went purely.

He will be missed.

Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum "The Epic of Gilgamesh"

BEAUTIFUL NEW PRINT NOW AVAILABLE

The Epic of Gilgamesh
To view the picture click here

(The following paragraph appears on the print underneath the artwork)

"The Epic of Gilgamesh" is considered by many scholars to be the oldest extant piece of literature in the world. Written some 4,500 years ago on clay tablets in ancient Sumer (now Iraq), it tells the story of a warrior king named Gilgamesh who ruled in the city of Uruk. One of the main themes is the wrestling match between Gilgamesh and the formidable Enkidu, a wild man from the forest.

   Mike Chapman, the museum's executive director, uses the story in speeches to convey the power of wrestling as Mankind's Oldest Sport. But for decades, he has never seen a good etching or painting of the legendary wrestling match.
   "There are dozens of images of Jacob wrestling the angel of the Lord, as described in the Bible, but none that I could find of Gilgamesh wrestling Enkidu," said Mike. "So, I decided the museum needed to create its own artwork."
    Mike asked Tadaaki Hatta, former NCAA champion for Oklahoma state (1965) and a skilled artist, if he would paint one. Tadaaki agreed.
    Now, wrestling fans can own a special, limited edition print of the full-color artwork, signed by Tadaaki Hatta.
    "It is a companion piece to the 'Sport of Lincoln' print we did a decade ago," said Mike. "It is printed on the same quality and color paper, the same size. The two prints would look terrific hanging side by side in a wrestling room or office. They are true collector items."
     Only 50 signed and numbered prints are available. Anyone wishing to own one can order through the Dan Gable museum website - at www.wrestlingmuseum.org - or they can call the Dan Gable Wrestling Museum (319-233-0745) for more information.

    Signed prints are $35 while they last and there is a $15 charge for shipping and handling.

Dustin Schlatter at the World Championships

Herning, Denmark - University of Minnesota wrestling senior-to-be Dustin Schlatter (Massillion, Ohio) completed his competition at the World Freestyle Championships today (Sept. 23) held at the MesseCenter in Herning, Denmark.

Schlatter was eliminated today, in the third day of the event, falling just short of placing. Competing in the 74 kg/163 lbs. division, he dropped a tough first round match to Ramash Kumar of India. The match went a full three periods before it was decided, with scores of 1-0, 2-2, and 1-1.

Kumar would go on to collect two more wins before he fell in the semifinals of the tournament. In the end, Schlatter's first round opponent was the eventual bronze medalist.

Schlatter received his draw at his weigh-in on Sept. 22, learning of his match-up with Kumar. Kumar was third at the Asian Championships in May, and finished fourth at the 2004 Olympic Games.

Schlatter enters his fifth and final season with the Golden Gophers in 2009-10. He was the 2006 national champion as a freshman and was part of the 2007 team national championship. A three-time All-American, he red-shirted last season in preparation for the World Championships.

In the final team standings for men's freestyle, the United States placed seventh with 19 points. Russia placed first with 63 points, ahead of Azerbaijan in second with 48, and Iran in third with 40 points.

Pat McCabe
Athletic Communications Assistant
University of Minnesota
244 Bierman Field Athletic Building
516 15th Ave. SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Office: (612) 624-4345
Cell: (612) 203-3028
gophersports.com

Take Down Radio - Ashnault, Miller, Barbee, Guerrero, Ersland, Eiter, Herbert, Dlagnev

Congrats to Jake Herbert for his Silver Medal and Tervel Dlagnev for his Bronze medal in the World Championships. They represent the first class of the "Living the Dream Medal Fund" recipients. We're all very proud of our TEAM USA. Lots left to do in Herning. Make sure to stay plugged in to the blog and all the interviews with Jason Bryant LIVE in Denmark on TheMat.com.

Meanwhile, Back in the good old USA We have a show to do. It's almost here. the College Wrestling Season.  The Brute Adidas studios will be lively again this week with the best in sports talk radio, Wrestling Talk! Join Scott Casber, Steve Foster, Chris Arns, James Moncherry and Randy Crimmins for the best 2 hours on radio Saturdays at 9 AM CST at Takedownradio.com.

Our Guests this week include-

9:05     Billy Ashnault- Junior 133 Pounder for Rutgers, transferred from Lock Haven
9:05     Dr. Kevin Miller- Chiropracter for Team USA Greco Live from Herning, Denmark
9:20     Chuck Barbee- Head Coach of Army at Westpoint
9:40     Eric Guerrero- Head Assist. For the Cowboys of OK.

10:05    Tony Ersland- Assit Coach for Nebraska Cornhuskers
10:20    Rob Eiter- Head Coach U Penn
10:45    Jake Herbert- World Siver Medalist
10:50    Tervel Dlagnev- World Bronze Medalist

Missed an episode of TDR? Now You can get TDR on your PDA or iPhone at Lightsout.tv and at iTunes

Please note that Episode 24 of TDRtv is now up on all the top web sites around the country and is available for your viewing.

Please join us for the show that started it all, Takedownradio.com. America's Wrestling Radio Talk Show is on Supertalk 1570 in Michigan, AM 1460 KXNO in Iowa and on a radio station near you or on line at many of our broadcast partners around the world including Takedownradio.com. We air 9 AM to 11 AM CST every Saturday morning and look forward to having you listen in.

Scott Casber
1460 KXNO in Iowa- Super Talk AM 1570 in Michigan- KRRW Minnesota
LiveSportsVideo.Com- IntermatWrestle.Com- Matchannel.Com- KXNO.Com- Mat-Magazine.Com
D1CollegeWrestling.net- ArizonaWrestling.net- TheWrestlingtalk.com- TheOpenMat.com- TheMat.com- PunchDrunkGamer.com-TakedownRadio.Com- WHO-TV 13
A Proud Member of the College Wrestling Network
515-707-8657

Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum Newsletter

Big Events Scheduled
at The Museum
October 16 - 17
Visit our website www.wrestlingmuseum.org
for full details

Alan and Gloria Rice Greco-Roman Hall of Champions Inductions
       A star-studded lineup is scheduled to be honored at the first ever inductions into the Alan and Gloria Rice Greco-Roman Hall of Champions event on Oct. 16-17.
       Two Olympic champions and three World champions will be inducted. In addition, one of the most important political figures of the past decade and an Iowa family with a sensational wrestling background will be presented major awards.
       The Greco-Roman hall is located in the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum, and is named for Alan and Gloria Rice, a husband-and wife team that has been one of the most influential forces in American wrestling history. Greco-Roman wrestling is a style that allows only holds above the waist, and Alan Rice has been one of its staunchest advocates for half a century.
       The five champions to be present and inducted are:
Steve Fraser, 1984 Olympic champion and a coach of the 2007 World championship team in Greco-Roman; Jeff Blatnick, 1984 Olympic champion in the unlimited class; Mike Houck, 1985 World champion, the first in U.S. history; Dennis Hall, 1995 World champion and a silver medalist in the 1996 Olympics; Joe Warren, 2006 World champion and two-time national champion.

Former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert
will receive the Sport of Lincoln Award,
presented for meritorious service to the sport of wrestling.

    A 10-term Congressman from Illinois, Hastert was a successful college wrestler and high school coach, and has been a major supporter of the sport for decades. He has been an advocate for modifying Title 9 rules to allow for protection of male sports while supporting growth for women athletics, and played a key role in keeping several colleges from dropping the sport.
    Hastert served as Speaker from 1999 to 2007 and is the longest serving Republican House Speaker in U.S. history. He resigned his Congressional position on Nov. 26, 2007, and today is in demand as a public speaker and as an adviser on a number of prominent issues. His biography, Speaker, will be available for purchase and he will be available to autograph your copy.


The Doug and Janet Reiter family to receive the first ever  "Iowa Legacy Award."

    The Reiter family has made a remarkable impact on the sport in the state of Iowa. Doug and Janet have four sons - Joe, Mack, Eddie and Bart - and between them they won nine individual state titles, and 15 medals at the state high school championships. It is the only family in Iowa to have TWO four-time state champions in Mack and Bart.
    Joe Reiter was a state champion and three-time finalist, and was expected to win his second title when he was sidelined for the season by a concussion. He was riding a long winning streak at the time. Eddie Reiter placed all four times he went to the state meet, with a third his final season.

FREE YOUTH CLINIC SET FOR OCT. 17

A FREE Greco-Roman clinic at 9 a.m. for youth wrestlers on "how G-R can help in folkstyle wrestling" will be held in the Gable Teaching Center in the museum by world champions Dennis Hall and Joe Warren. To enroll, please call the museum as soon as possible because space is limited. Call Melissa at 319-233-0745.


Combination Inductions/Banquet tickets, can be purchased by calling the museum at 319-233-0745, or on our website www.wrestlingmuseum.org at Store - Event Tickets

For full event schedule visit www.wrestlingmuseum.org
Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum Newsletter

Big Events Scheduled at The Museum

October 16 - 17

Visit our website www.wrestlingmuseum.org
for full details

Alan and Gloria Rice Greco-Roman Hall of Champions Inductions

       A star-studded lineup is scheduled to be honored at the first ever inductions into the Alan and Gloria Rice Greco-Roman Hall of Champions event on Oct. 16-17.

       Two Olympic champions and three World champions will be inducted. In addition, one of the most important political figures of the past decade and an Iowa family with a sensational wrestling background will be presented major awards.

       The Greco-Roman hall is located in the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum, and is named for Alan and Gloria Rice, a husband-and wife team that has been one of the most influential forces in American wrestling history. Greco-Roman wrestling is a style that allows only holds above the waist, and Alan Rice has been one of its staunchest advocates for half a century.

       The five champions to be present and inducted are:

· Steve Fraser, 1984 Olympic champion and a coach of the 2007 World championship team in Greco-Roman; · Jeff Blatnick, 1984 Olympic champion in the unlimited class; · Mike Houck, 1985 World champion, the first in U.S. history; · Dennis Hall, 1995 World champion and a silver medalist in the 1996 Olympics; · Joe Warren, 2006 World champion and two-time national champion.

Former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert will receive the Sport of Lincoln Award, presented for meritorious service to the sport of wrestling.

    A 10-term Congressman from Illinois, Hastert was a successful college wrestler and high school coach, and has been a major supporter of the sport for decades. He has been an advocate for modifying Title 9 rules to allow for protection of male sports while supporting growth for women athletics, and played a key role in keeping several colleges from dropping the sport.

    Hastert served as Speaker from 1999 to 2007 and is the longest serving Republican House Speaker in U.S. history. He resigned his Congressional position on Nov. 26, 2007, and today is in demand as a public speaker and as an adviser on a number of prominent issues. His biography, Speaker, will be available for purchase and he will be available to autograph your copy.

The Doug and Janet Reiter family to receive the first ever     "Iowa Legacy Award."

    The Reiter family has made a remarkable impact on the sport in the state of Iowa. Doug and Janet have four sons - Joe, Mack, Eddie and Bart - and between them they won nine individual state titles, and 15 medals at the state high school championships. It is the only family in Iowa to have TWO four-time state champions in Mack and Bart.

    Joe Reiter was a state champion and three-time finalist, and was expected to win his second title when he was sidelined for the season by a concussion. He was riding a long winning streak at the time. Eddie Reiter placed all four times he went to the state meet, with a third his final season.

FREE YOUTH CLINIC SET FOR OCT. 17

A FREE Greco-Roman clinic at 9 a.m. for youth wrestlers on "how G-R can help in folkstyle wrestling" will be held in the Gable Teaching Center in the museum by world champions Dennis Hall and Joe Warren. To enroll, please call the museum as soon as possible because space is limited. Call Melissa at 319-233-0745.


Combination Inductions/Banquet tickets, can be purchased by calling the museum at 319-233-0745, or on our website www.wrestlingmuseum.org at Store - Event Tickets

For full event schedule visit www.wrestlingmuseum.org

SUPPORT GROWING TO NAME HCRHS FIELDHOUSE TO HONOR RUSS RIEGEL

A group has been gathering support to recommend naming the Hunterdon Central Fieldhouse the Russell K. Riegel Fieldhouse.   Their intent is to honor his numerous athletic leadership achievements and his positive influence on student athletes, the student body, faculty and community. Coach Riegel was the school's first Athletic Director, a position he held for 35 years (1956 - 1991). Under his Athletic Director leadership, Hunterdon Central developed into one of the premier New Jersey high school athletic programs, bringing the school and community recognition, respect and pride. Coach Riegel was wrestling coach, cheerleading coach and cross-country coach during his 35 years at Hunterdon Central (1956-1991). Coach Riegel is the winningest high school wrestling coach in the nation with 821 wins and still counting. (He currently coaches wrestling at Harrison County High School in Kentucky). In 2002 he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.   In 1984 he was inducted into the Gettysburg College Hall of Athletic Honor with a college wrestling record of 63-1. In 1984 he was Wrestling USA Magazine Hall of Fame Wrestling Man of the Year. While at Hunterdon Central, his teams won numerous Tournament, District, Sectional and State titles. He has coached 11 State Wrestling Champions, had 5 undefeated seasons and was continually ranked in the top10 wrestling teams in New Jersey.

Coach Riegel was instrumental in putting Hunterdon Central on the map with his leadership as an athletic director and excellence in coaching and teaching. During Russ Riegel's tenure as Athletic Director at Hunterdon Central, numerous men's and women's sports were added and the athletic program flourished into one of the top programs in the state. He was years ahead of his time in promoting any sport he coached. Coach Riegel created the Hunterdon Central Invitational Wrestling Tournament, which is the longest running Holiday Tournament in the Nation. When he started coaching Cheerleading, he elevated it to a sport by starting the DRC Cheerleading Competition. The sport never looked back, and the Cheerleaders still compete today on a national level.

You didn't have to be an athlete for him to bring out the best in you. Coach Riegel also recognized the importance of fostering school spirit by involving students with talents in art, music and beyond in order to instill school pride across the entire student body. He saw that having the different curriculum departments work together brought out the best in the school. The Pep Band that was formed with his guidance in the early 70's helped to draw over 2000 fans to the wrestling matches and basketball games on a regular basis.

Coach Riegel has been a role model for countless wrestling coaches throughout the U.S. When interviewed recently, Coach Buxton of Blair Academy (the #1 high school wrestling team in the nation) credits Coach Riegel with promoting and elevating the sport. Many of his wrestlers went on to become head wrestling coaches at other high schools and developed successful programs in their respective schools. They attribute much of their success to Coach Riegel. His teaching, coaching and mentorship helped those who knew him develop and strengthen their self esteem, leadership and team building; life skills that go beyond sports into creating outstanding adult lives.

The naming of the Hunterdon Central Fieldhouse in his honor would be a wonderful tribute to Coach Riegel, and all associated with him. The fieldhouse naming recommendation will be presented to the HCRHS Board of Education at their meeting on November 16, 2009 at 7 pm. The Board members need to see the support of the community through the signing of a petition and attendance at the Board of Education meeting. It is critical to have as many people as possible sign the petition and attend the meeting.

To sign the petition and get more information, go to
RussRiegelFieldhouse.com

Please take just a few seconds of your time to support this lasting legacy by filling out and submitting the form on the Petition page.

Thank you in advance,
John and Jim Lebbad Class of '73
Bob Benjamin Class of '76

Take Down Radio - Troy Steiner, Randy Pugh, BJ Thomas, Jack Spates, Joe McFarland

Its in the air. You can feel it. It's almost here. the College Wrestling Season.  The Brute adidas studios will be lively again this week with the best in sports talk radio, Wrestling Talk! The part of the gang is back together again. Scott Casber will be out of studio for this show. Join Steve Foster, Grant Turner, Chris Arns, Randy Crimmins for the best 2 hours in radio Saturdays at 9 AM CST at Takedownradio.com.

Our Guests this week include-

9:05     Troy Steiner- Assist Head Coach of the Beavers of Oregon State- Lots going on in the NW
             and in the PAC. Will the Beavers contend for a PAC title? What impact will Nick Simmons
             have on the room now that he has taken Alex Clemsen's place?

9:20     Randy Pugh- Assist. Head Coach of the Panthers of UNI- Good recruiting class and a
           great host to the NWCA National Duals

9:40     BJ Thomas- Founder of Cael Sanderson's Undefeated Sports Nutrition
            www.BeUndefeated.com we're talking cookies, customed mixed sports drinks, etc.
10:05    Jack Spates- Head Coach of the Sooners of Oklahoma University- Loads of great recruits,
            new facilities, New Coaches

10:20    Joe McFarland- Head Coach of the Wolverines of Michigan- New Facilities, New faces and
            a great attitude.

10:45     Amy Williams- Wildrose casino in Emmetsburg, Iowa
             http://www.wildroseresorts.com

10:50    Overtime Neighborhood Hub Sports and Grub- Host of the UFC PPV with Scott Casber
            Time, food specials and all the big screens you could want. Great prizes too.

Missed an episode of TDR? Now You can get TDR on your PDA or iPhone at Lightsout.tv and at iTunes

Please note that Episode 23 of TDRtv is now up on all the top web sites around the country and is available for your viewing.

Please join us for the show that started it all, Takedownradio.com. America's Wrestling Radio Talk Show is on Supertalk 1570 in Michigan, AM 1460 KXNO in Iowa and on a radio station near you or on line at many of our broadcast partners around the world including Takedownradio.com. We air 9 AM to 11 AM CST every Saturday morning and look forward to having you listen in.

Now for a limited time get the 0117 adidas stock Lehigh singlet for $30.00 each (net price). Place your order now to take advantage of this great deal !

Hurry before this offer is expires on 9/25/09. The minimum order is 12 pieces to receive the discounted amount. Email me at campofchampions@ca.rr.com or call 866-854-2560...Steve

Take Down Radio This Week- Tim Flynn, Brad Penrith, Rex Kendle, Mike Moyer, Andrew Hipps

The Brute adidas studios will be lively this week with the best in sports talk radio, Wrestling Talk! The gang is getting back together again. Join Steve Foster, Chris Arns, Randy Crimmins and I for the best 2 hours in radio Saturdays at 9 AM CST at Takedownradio.com. Our Guests this week include-

Tim Flynn- Head Coach of Edinboro Fighting Scots

Brad Penrith- Head Coach of the Panthers of UNI

Rex Kendle- Former Michigan State Spartan, now beginning his MMA career

Mike Moyer- Executive Director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association

Andrew Hipps- The man behind Intermatwrestle.com

Missed an episode of TDR? Now You can get TDR on your PDA or iPhone at Lightsout.tv and at iTunes

Please note that Episode 21 of TDRtv is now up on all the top web sites around the country and is available for your viewing.

Please join us for the show that started it all, Takedownradio.com. America's Wrestling Radio Talk Show is on Supertalk 1570 in Michigan, AM 1460 KXNO in Iowa and on a radio station near you or on line at many of our broadcast partners around the world including Takedownradio.com. We air 9 AM to 11 AM CST every Saturday morning and look forward to having you listen in.

Scott Casber
1460 KXNO in Iowa- Super Talk AM 1570 in Michigan- KRRW Minnesota
LiveSportsVideo.Com- IntermatWrestle.Com- Matchannel.Com- KXNO.Com- Mat-Magazine.Com
D1CollegeWrestling.net- ArizonaWrestling.net- TheWrestlingtalk.com- TheOpenMat.com- TheMat.com- PunchDrunkGamer.com-TakedownRadio.Com- WHO-TV 13
A Proud Member of the College Wrestling Network
515-707-8657

Mouthguards: Protective, but can cause harm

Study finds athletic mouthguards may cause oral lesions and disease

ROSEMONT, IL - Although comtioned monly used to protect an athlete's teeth during contact sports, mouthguards are now being quesfor their potential to injure a player's mouth. A new study published in the September/October issue of Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach found that mouthguards may increase the number and intensity of mouth cuts and abrasions, exposing an athlete to an increased chance of infection due to the bacteria, yeast, and fungi that mouthguards routinely collect.

Sixty-two collegiate football players' mouths were examined pre-season and post-season. The players selected their own mouthguards, either a "boil and bite" device or a custom-made device. At pre-season testing, 75 percent of the players had oral lesions located in three different areas of the mouth (gums, cheek, and roof of mouth). By the end of the season, 96 percent of the participants had oral lesions not only in the same three areas of the mouth, but also on the tongue.

"We saw not only an overall increase in the number of lesions, but also a wider distribution," explains author Richard T. Glass, DDS, PhD and professor at the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences. "While there might be other contributing factors to the oral lesions, the percentage increase and the specific locations of the oral lesions, compared with other studies done of the general population, indicated that mouthguards have a significant negative impact on the mouth."
Researchers stress that even with the increase in oral lesions, mouthguards are still an important piece of safety equipment for contact sports. "By no means should the value of a mouth guard be discounted," Glass emphasizes. "The protection they do offer teeth during contact sports is important. However, the length of time that a mouthguard is used and how often it is cleaned needs to be revised."

Glass and his co-authors suggest in the study that as soon as a mouthguard becomes distorted or develops sharp jagged edges or after 14 days of regular use, it should be discarded, whichever comes first. The study also pointed out that mouthguards have a natural ability to become a breeding ground for micro-organisms and should be sanitized on a daily basis using an antimicrobial denture-cleaning solution.

"This study stresses the importance of informing athletes of the danger of not properly taking care of a mouthguard. A mouthguard will do your mouth good only if you keep it in good shape," adds Glass.

####
Published bimonthly, Sports Health is a collaborative publication from the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM), the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM), the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA), and the Sports Physical Therapy Section (SPTS). Other organizations participating in the publication include the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine (AOASM). For more information on the publication or to submit a manuscript, visit www.sportshealthjournal.org. For more information on this press release, please contact Lisa Weisenberger or call the AOSSM office at 847-292-4900

Take Down Radio this week- Tom Minkel, Lou Rosselli, Phil Keddy, Wade Schalles, Rob Koll

Hello wrestling fans we return this week to the Brute Adidas studios in Des Moines, Iowa for another 2 hour extravaganza into the world of wrestling. What a week its been again.

This week we dive head first in to the deep end of the world of wrestling as only TDR can do. Our guests this week include:

Tom Minkel- Long time Head Coach of Michigan State

Lou Rosselli - Asst. Head Coach of the Ohio State University

Phil Keddy- 184 Pound Senior for the Hawkeyes of the University of Iowa

Wade Schalles- Former Head Coach, World Record Holder for most pins and most wins
Wade's Son is enrolled at the Naval Academy

Rob Koll- Head Coach of the Big Red of Cornell

Missed an episode of TDR? Now You can get TDR on your PDA or iPhone at Lightsout.tv and at iTunes

Please note that Episode 19 of TDRtv is now up on all the top web sites around the country and is available for your viewing.

This is sure to be one very entertaining program. Please join us for the show that started it all, Takedownradio.com. America's Wrestling Radio Talk Show is on Supertalk 1570 in Michigan, AM 1460 KXNO in Iowa and on a radio station near you or on line at many of our broadcast partners around the world including Takedownradio.com. We air 9 AM to 11 AM CST every Saturday morning and look forward to having you listen in.

Lee Kemp: The Journey To Excellence A TDR Special Production

Hello fellow wrestling fans. Recently the TDR crew had the opportunity to spend some time with Olympian and Champion Lee Kemp. Take a time and enjoy this interview. It details Lee, his life and times. It goes beyond the mat. It's a high quality 48 Minutes produced special and will take some slow computer lines a while to propagate it but it is very worthwhile. Email me after you watch it and tell me if you would like to see more specials like this on our other wrestling greats. You can email me at Scott@takedownradio.com.

Here is the link: http://blip.tv/file/2479152/

Feel free to post this on your sites for others to enjoy as you see fit.

Four U.S. women strike gold at Pan-American Cadet Championships

USA Wrestling
08/15/2009

MANAGUA, Nicaragua – Four American women’s wrestlers won titles as the United States captured the team championship at the Pan-American Cadet Championships.

Winning titles for the U.S. were Erin Golston, Brieana Delgado, Krista Revelle and Kim Spiegel.

Golston, from Lake in the Hills, Ill., went 2-0 at 43 kg/94.75 lbs.

Delgado, from Fountain Inn, S.C., went 3-0 with three pins at 60 kg/132 lbs.

Revelle, from Meriden, Kan., went 2-0 at 65 kg/143.25 lbs.

Spiegel, from Port Trevorton, Pa., won the title at 70 kg/154.25 lbs.

The tournament concludes with the freestyle competition on Sunday.

PAN-AMERICAN CADET CHAMPIONSHIPS
WOMEN’S FREESTYLE
AUGUST 15, MANAGUA, NICARAGUA

43 kg/94.75 lbs. – Erin Golston, Lake in the Hills, Ill. – 1st
WIN vs. Glenda Sanchez (Nicaragua), 6-0, fall :35
WIN Johaira Cedono (Ecuador)

46 kg/ 101.25 lbs. – Kayleigh Longley, North Berwick, Maine – 3rd
WIN Katia Fuentes (Nicaragua), 3-0, fall 1:37
LOSS Angelica Bustos (Ecuador) 4-2, 0-2 fall 1:00
WIN Pamela Morena (Peru), 6-2, 2-1

49 kg/108 lbs. – Natalie Rutt, Belle Plaine, Minn. – 2nd
LOSS Jessica Olevares (Peru), 4-1, 0-2, 0-2
WIN Jahoska Rocha (Nicaragua), 8-2, fall :10

52 kg/114.5 lbs. – Jasmine Yanez, Gilroy, Calif. – 2nd
WIN Carolina D'larosa (Dominican Republic), 3-2, 2-3, 4-2
LOSS Eunice Jimenez (Mexico), 0-4, fall 1:47

56 kg/123.25 lbs. – Roni Goodale, Muscatine, Iowa – 2nd
WIN Nora Flores (Peru), 0-5, fall :38
WIN Alejandra Alonso (Mexico), 1-0, fall 1:59
WIN Amalur Bisquert (Nicaragua), 2-0, fall :50
LOSS Lais Nunes (Brazil), 6-0, fall 1:43

60 kg/132 lbs. – Brieana Delgado, Fountain Inn, S.C. – 1st
WIN Ana Daniela Aguilar (Panama), 6-0, 0-2, fall :45
WIN Maria Rosa Angalo (Ecuador), 4-2, fall :28
WIN Alison Sokaliki (Canada), 7-0, fall 1:53

65 kg/143.25 lbs. – Krista Revelle, Meriden, Kan. – 1st
WIN Kailiana Rodreguez (Panama), 3-1, 2-0
WIN Brittany Johnson (CAN), 3-0, 3-0

70 kg/154.25 lbs. Kim Spiegel, Port Trevorton, Pa. – 1st
WIN Dayana Alguera (Nicaragua), 2-0, fall 1:12

Committee To Save Moorpark College,

Important Items:

1. We need to network. I need emails of any alumni or supporters now. I want to build my global email list as fast as possible. I'll take the names and numbers of any alumni or any friends of wrestling.
2. Charles Sandlin (Raider alumnus, his family owns Roadrunner Shuttle) will be meeting with the MC President next week. He would like checks in his hands that amount to more than $35,000 to show good faith to Dr Eddinger that we are serious about our desire to continue the great sport of wrestling at Moorpark College. This will go towards coaches salary, travel, equipment, officials, entry fees. and transportation expenses. He is also presenting a 10-year plan to sustain the program. The checks will be kept in our hands until we find out that the program is a go for this year. If not, your check will be canceled.
3. Checks should be made out to Moorpark College Foundation with a memo saying exclusively to MC Wrestling. Checks can be mailed to me at the following:

    978 Amber Dr.
    Camarillo , CA 93010
    805-482-1523
    cell 805-657-3095

4. Checks can be dropped off at my house anytime. I will be home all day Saturday.
5. Time is of the essence - Please do this now! Any amount will help.
6. We will be working on future plans to develop this foundation fund - donor website savemcwrestling.com (pay pal account), twitter, face book (I will become a member to network), golf tournament, and Roadrunner Shuttle will be our corporate sponsor.
7. We have a great 41 year history, let's make it 42 years,
8. Sometimes there is a domino effect and other colleges drop their wrestling programs - WE CAN'T LET THIS HAPPEN!

     GO RAIDERS!

--
Charles Sandlin
Roadrunner Shuttle and Limousine
www.rrshuttle.com
805-389-8196 Work
805-709-6120 Cell

Cliff Keen Announces Web Site Re-Design

August 1, 2009

ANN ARBOR, MI – Cliff Keen Athletic announces the introduction of the company’s new web site for the 2009-10 scholastic calendar. CliffKeen.com is re-designed to better serve the company’s considerable stable of growing customers, universities, retailers, and club wrestling programs, as well as an international officiating client base.

Highlights of this web site roll-out include an increased server capacity, easier navigation and simplified ordering with Cliff Keen’s new Shopping Cart features and real-time inventory levels. A second phase coming later this summer, will include a completely overhauled Custom Uniform Builder and Business-to-Business portal. Cliff Keen loyalists can pick from all of their favorite wrestling and officials wear items, while seeing recommended and comparable items automatically selected from the shopping cart system.

Also included on the new website is Cliff Keen’s custom sublimation program, which has been commended by wrestlers, coaches,, and officiating leaders. The company’s sublimated uniforms and workout gear led to record-breaking sales and service marks set in the fall of last year. The iconic Ann Arbor company, lauded as a Michigan success story, seeks to break those marks with the web site roll-out.

“I am very excited about our new website,” Chad Clark, Cliff Keen Vice-President of Sales said. “We think our new website takes us leaps and bounds ahead of the industry curve. In particular, customers will enjoy the streamlined ordering process and real-time inventory control that they will have point-and-click access to.”

Clark credited Cliff Keen owner Tom Keen for the vision and initiative to overhaul the site while lauding Roger Houthoofd, Cliff Keen’s Creative Director, for the energy and dedication to steer the project to fruition. Entering its’ 52nd -consecutive year of retail innovation in the international wrestling and officiating marketplace, Cliff Keen has fulfilled orders in the past year for the National Football League, hundreds of nationally-recognized collegiate wrestling programs, and is the annual title sponsor of the Cliff Keen World Series of Wrestling events--amateur wrestling’s benchmark tournaments hosted across the country.

Cliff Keen Athletic is the namesake company of former University of Michigan wrestling coach Cliff Keen, who spent nearly a half century as the school’s winningest wrestling coach and assistant football coach. The University of Michigan continues to host home wrestling meets in the historic Cliff Keen Arena, located on the Michigan campus.

CONTACT: Roger Houthoofd, Creative Director
734.975.8800 or roger@cliffkeen.com
###

$3.5 Million Stand Alone Wrestling Center Completed

Jon Davis Wrestling Center Dedication Scheduled

The Edwardsville Wrestling Club (EWC) announces the completion of the 24,000 sq. ft. Jon Davis Wrestling Center. Built with private funds on Edwardsville School District 7 property, the Jon Davis Wrestling Center is the result of a successful collaboration between the Edwardsville School District and the EWC. A Dedication Ceremony will be held at the Jon Davis Wrestling Center on August 23rd. The public is invited to attend.

The Jon Davis Wrestling Center will be home to the Edwardsville High School (EHS) Wrestling team, EWC and Illinois Southern Elite Freestyle/Greco Wrestling Club. The Center's main feature is a 51?2 mat (94' x 104') wrestling arena with bleacher seating for 850. The Jon Davis Wrestling Center also includes a strength and conditioning room, locker rooms, concessions, offices, conference room and auditorium. The auditorium seats 110 in either stadium or banquet style seating, and includes a theatre sound system and 14' x 9' viewing screen. The auditorium will also serve as the home of the EHS Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA).

The Jon Davis Wrestling Center will also be used on a national wrestling level. The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) and EWC will partner to host the NWCA Coaching Academy in future years. "The Jon Davis Wrestling Center is a multipurpose facility conveniently located near the easily accessible St. Louis Airport. The centralized location of the facility is perfectly suited for our coaches who will be traveling from around the nation to participate in our Leadership Academy each year," said NWCA Executive Director, Mike Moyer. The EWC will also partner with FCA/Wrestling in their inaugural season. "FCA is excited about having the Jon Davis Wrestling Center as a "regional and national center of excellence" to help carry out FCA's mission and vision," said Tim Johnson, FCA Midwest Region Director.

Jon Davis, for whom the Jon Davis Wresting Center is named, was a beloved Wrestling Coach and Teacher in the Edwardsville School District. Until his death in 2007, Jon had also served 30 years as the South Sectional Director of the IKWF. During his tenure, the South grew from the smallest to the second largest Section in the state. Jon's work ethic and dedication to youth wrestling and the IKWF were of the highest standard. Jon Davis left a legacy of dedication and service for all to follow.

The Edwardsville Wrestling Club is a youth wrestling club based out of Edwardsville, IL and is a member of the Illinois Kids Wrestling Federation (IKWF) and USA Wrestling. Pat McNamara is the Head Coach of the EWC. McNamara is a 3x Minnesota High School State Champion and 3x NCAA All-American at Michigan State. The current EWC roster lists 25 coaches and over 150 wrestlers.

Tammy N. Tedesco
Assistant Director
National Wrestling Coaches Association
717-653-8009 (office)
717-653-8270 (fax)
ttedesco@nwca.cc
www.nwcaonline.com

Take Down Radio This Week- Al Bevilacqua, Branch, Grenawalt, Perez, Mark Perry

Hello wrestling fans we return this week to the Brute Adidas studios in Des Moines, Iowa for another 2 hour extravaganza into the world of wrestling. What a week its been.

We dive head first in to the world of wrestling as only TDR can do. Our guests this week include:

Al Bevilacqua- Beat The Streets, Need I say more?

Mark Branch- Head Coach of Wyoming

Mychal Grenawalt- Founder and host of radio show Matside Michigan

Noelle Perez- Bloodwork and Blood born disease, we'll talk about this important issue.

Mark Perry- New Top Assist. For the Mustangs of Cal Poly

Please not that Episode 16 of TDRtv is now up on all the top web sites around the country and is available for your viewing. This is Sure to be an entertaining program. Please join us for the show that started it all, Takedownradio.com. Join us for America's Wrestling Radio Talk Show on a radio station near you or on line at many of our broadcast partners around the world including Takedownradio.com. We air 9 AM to 11 AM every Saturday morning and look forward to having you listen in.
Wrestling Can Be Fun!

by Bill Miller- Editor of Lighthouse Wrestling

Friday Night Lights was a smashing success at Johns Burns Park in Massapequa on Friday Evening July 10. Unlike the tension at other wrestling touraments, Friday Night Lights was a combination festival, reunion, wrestling tournament rolled into one. Contrasted with a baseball game in progress on the adjacent field, it was on the mat where you could find all the excitement and fans, so much for America’s favorite past time.
There was a great turnout in the senior division with, I believe, Ted Depasquale and Ray Downey being the oldest of the seniors in attendance (The Two Wrestled a great match and it is posted here). It was like a who’s who of former Section 8 and Section XI stars. The event was well attended at all divisions with over 400 athletes in attendance.
The event was also graced with outstanding weather. For a mid-July event the temperature was comfortable, even cool later in the evening. The only drawback to the cool evening temperatures was that it brought with it condensation that was impossible to clear from the mats making the mat conditions somewhat slippery, but no more slippery than a sweaty wrestling room nearing the end of hard practice.
Friday Night Lights was a terrific idea, and I’d like to complement the Friends of Massapequa Wrestling and especially Joe Catalonato and his staff for holding a Great Event! Running a tournament is never easy and especially running the first of an exciting event.
-for more videos and photo's go to www.LighthouseWrestling.com

Take Down Radio this Week- Barry Davis, Dan Wirnsberger, Kerry McCoy, Chris Bono, Joe Russell

This week the Brute adidas studios will be absent me. I will be out of town and joining Chris and Randy will be wrestling enthusiast Bob Selby. Bob has co hosted TDR before and is a regular on the wrestling scene. Bob's list of people he wanted to have on as guests was extensive but we boiled it down to the following.

TDR this week-

Barry Davis- Head Coach of Wisconsin. Barry has had some changes in his coaching staff and also some great recruits. Tune in to find out what the top Badge has to say.

Dan Wirnsberger- Head Coach of the Bison of Bucknell. Dan is a favorite on the show and has some exciting news to share as summer wears on and we head to fall.

Kerry McCoy- Head Coach of the Terps of Maryland joins us to discuss everything Maryland. He might have an opinion on our new national teams as well.

Chris Bono- Assist. Head Coach for the Cyclones of Iowa State. He has joined KJ in the midst of recruiting and scheduling. Maybe he can answer the burning questions of the wrestling community.

Joe Russell- As if J Robinson on the show last Saturday wasn't enough we have the top MN assist to clarify the recruiting class.

Please make sure to check out the most recent episode of TDRtv. You can see it on the top wrestling web sites in the US and around the world. TDRtv Episode 15 will be posted by Tuesday morning each week.

Our thanks go to Bob Selby for filling in for me. Join us for America's Wrestling Radio Talk Show on a radio station near you or on line at many of our broadcast partners around the world including Takedownradio.com. We air 9 AM to 11 AM every Saturday morning and look forward to having you listen in. Thanks. SC

Inaugural NWCA Coaching Leadership Academy Class Announced

The NWCA is excited to announce it has secured a $30,000 grant that can be utilized to scholarship "up-and-coming" college coaches who have been nominated by their peers to participate in a "one of a kind" Coaches Leadership Academy "focus group" in conjunction with this year's NWCA Convention in Ft. Lauderdale. To a large extent, the future success of college wrestling lies in the hands of these aspiring young coaches.

"The NWCA is extremely grateful for the generosity of our Academy benefactors John Harmon, Irv Naylor, and Greg Hatcher who have collectively established the $30,000 scholarship grant. Further, NWCA benefactors Dave Bunning and Mark Mestemacher should be acknowledged for their roles in underwriting the entire development of the College Coaches Leadership Academy," said NWCA President Jim Beichner.

"It is clear that these individuals are determined to make sure our young, aspiring college coaches have the necessary skills and resources to navigate through these very challenging economic times."

The purpose of this focus group is to utilize "peer group discussion" among college coaches, athletic administrators, and CEOs to develop 'best practices" for protecting and strengthening intercollegiate wrestling programs through this challenging economy. Specifically, we want to help coaches strengthen their CEO skills and better align their programs with educational values.
Nationally renowned coaching development expert, Dr. Dan Gould from Michigan State University, will be facilitating these discussions. In addition, he will be collaborating with some of our nation's top athletic administrators, coaches, and CEOs (with wrestling backgrounds) to begin the develop of faculty who will serve as facilitators at regional "Coaching Leadership" workshops around the nation once the training program is fully functional.

The 2009 Leadership Academy consists of the following coaches: John Mark Bentley, Ben Berogen, Jason Borrelli, Mark Branch, Brandon Brissette, Shawn Charles, Dax Charles, Heath Eslinger, John Garriques, Trent Goodale, Scott Hawes, Scott Hinkle, Tim Homan, Greg Ilaria, Tony Islas, RC LaHaye, Tom Layte, Clint Manny, Risto Marttinen, Joe, Pollard, Tom Prarie, Todd Roberts, Ryan Smith, Ben Stehura, Casey Stouffer, Beau Vest and Jason York.

Mentors for the 2009 Leadership Academy are as follows: Ron Beaschler, Jim Beichner, Tom Bold, Tom Borrelli, Jim Fallis, Mark Gumble, Dan Harris, Todd Hibbs, Dave Icenhower, Paul Kendle, Rob Koll, Jim Makovsky, Joe McFarland, Darrell Randall, Rande Stottlemyer, Greg Strobel, Jeff Swenson, Alan Utter, and Colonel Billy Walker.

On behalf the NWCA Board of Directors, we would like to encourage all college coaches (head and assistants) to attend the 2009 NWCA Convention scheduled for August 6-9. Wrestling's challenges must be solved by wrestling people. There has never been a more important time for the wrestling community to work together. We hope that we will see a record attendance this year!

Tammy N. Tedesco
Assistant Director
National Wrestling Coaches Association
717-653-8009 (office)
717-653-8270 (fax)
ttedesco@nwca.cc
www.nwcaonline.com

The National Wrestling Coaches Association Host the 2009 Convention in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Presented by: ASICS, Cliff Keen, Crayhon and Resilite

The National Wrestling Coaches Association is pleased to announce their 2009 Annual Convention, to be held at the Bahia Mar Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on August 6-9th.

This year's convention features many informative sessions that will be beneficial to both the scholastic and collegiate coaching communities.

The NWCA Convention is the time for coaches to interact with one another outside of the wrestling season, paired with informational sessions on how to take a more proactive approach to being the coach and "CEO" of your team. This year's focus for the collegiate divisions is, "To Protect and Promote Your College Program." Scholastic Coaches will focus on: Leadership, coaching development, technique and networking.

For the Scholastic Coach:
• Creating and sustaining a positive team culture
• Coaching Development (risk management, recruitment and retention of wrestlers)
• Systematic teaching for success on the mat
• NFHS rules review
• Being a leader in "off the mat" areas

For the Collegiate Coach:
• Best Practices for improving retention and graduation rates of student-athletes
• Creating and sustaining a positive team culture
• Division I "Mock NCAA Selection Process"
• Protecting your intercollegiate wrestling team
• Change of Season Discussion

Highlighting the event will be legendary Coach Dan Gable as this year's guest speaker for the NWCA Conventions opening luncheon on Friday, August 7th. Coach Gable is the University of Iowa's all-time winningest wrestling coach from 1977-1997. His career coaching record totals 355-21-5, leading the Hawkeyes to 15 NCAA Team Championships including nine consecutive championships (1978-1986). In the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany, he won a gold medal without surrendering a point to any of his opponents.

He has been appointed to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Gable has also been named the top wrestler of the 20th century by Gannett News Service. He was listed as one of the top coaches in the 20th century by ESPN. Along with being named Iowa's top "sports figure" in the past 100 years.

The convention luncheon featuring Coach Gable will take place August 7, 2009, at noon in the Grandview Ballroom of the Bahia Mar Hotel. Extra tickets for the luncheon can be purchased by calling the NWCA Office.

Also addressing the convention attendees will be Dan Gould the Director of the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports and a Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the Michigan State University. Gould is a professor with a specialty in applied sport psychology. He has co-authored two books, Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology (with Bob Weinberg) and Understanding Psychological Preparation for Sport: Theory and Practice of Elite Performers (with Lew Hardy and Graham Jones).

Gould partnered with the NWCA in 2008 to aid in the development of the Coaching Education Programs and the NWCA Leadership Academy that is being unveiled prior to the convention.

The featured clinicians are Tom Borrelli of Central Michigan University and Brian Smith of the University of Missouri, both coaches who have produced many talented college wrestlers along with promoting their teams to the community.

Coach Borrelli has been the head coach at Central Michigan for 17 years. In that time he has also been named the NWCA Bobb Bubb Coaching Excellence Award Winner and the NWCA and WIN Magazine National Coach of the Year.

Coach Smith has been with the Missouri Tigers for the past 10 years. Smith has local roots growing up in Fort Lauderdale and starting his coaching career at Western High School. Smith has also been honored as an NWCA National Coach of the Year.

There will be an additional technique session specifically for the scholastic coaches hosted by Dave Crowell, Head Coach at Nazareth High School (Pennsylvania). Crowell has been honored five times as the Pennsylvania State Coach of the Year and has also been named an NWCA National Coach of the Year.

Space is still available for coaches wishing to attend, registration can be completed online. The full convention registration is $225; there is a $50 discount for multiple coaches from the same school with the purchase of one full registration. For more information on the NWCA Convention you can contact the NWCA Office at 717-653-8009 or by going to our website at www.nwcaonline.com.

The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a professional organization dedicated to serve and provide leadership for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on scholastic and collegiate programs. The membership embraces all people interested in amateur wrestling.

The NWCA, through its organizational structure, promotes communication, recognizes achievement, recommends rules and regulations, sponsors events, and serves as an educational and informational source. Additionally, the NWCA strives to foster the sportsmanship and integrity that are the cornerstones of athletic competition.

Tammy N. Tedesco
Assistant Director
National Wrestling Coaches Association
717-653-8009 (office)
717-653-8270 (fax)
ttedesco@nwca.cc
www.nwcaonline.com

Take Down Radio This Week- Mark Palmer, Allee, Stutzman, J Robinson, Dan Gable, Justin Wren

We return this week to the Brute Adidas studios in Des Moines, Iowa for another 2 hour extravaganza into the world of wrestling. We talked to World Team Member Jake Herbert yesterday Live from Baku as he and his United States team mates prepare to face 2009 European champion Azerbaijan in a freestyle dual meet on Saturday night July 18, with $29,000 in prize money up for grabs. The 2009 U.S. Freestyle World Team and additional national team members are in Azerbaijan for training, and will also compete in the Heydar Aliyev Golden Grand Prix tournament on July 19 in Baku. To listen to this interview: http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/5269

This week on TDR- Justin Wren UFC Next Ultimate Fighter series star In Studio with sports reporter Luke Plansky

Mark Palmer- Senior writer for IntermatWrestled.com joins us to discuss the college scene, the MMA effect and more.

Todd Allee- Redford Michigan's Mash Gym. One of the top gyms in Michigan with wrestling as its core. Its easy to see why Michigan is doing so well on all fronts of the martial arts.

John Stutzman- Head Coach of the Huskies of Bloomsburg in PA. With so much going on in PA today I thought we could take the opportunity and get caught up with Stutzy.

J Robinson- Head Coach of the Gophers of MN. We'll talk camps, #1 Recruiting class and Brock

Dan Gable- Past Head Coach University of Iowa and wrestling mentor to many. We'll discuss the view from Dan's chair.

Sure to be an entertaining program. Please join us for the show that started it all, Takedownradio.com.
Join us for America's Wrestling Radio Talk Show on a radio station near you or on line at many of our broadcast partners around the world including Takedownradio.com. We air 9 AM to 11 AM every Saturday morning and look forward to having you listen in.

Takedown Wrestling Radio This week- Chris Ayres, Ray Brinzer, Betterman, Brian Antonelli, May, Race

Back this week to the Brute Adidas studios of Takedown Wrestling Radio. Some say that the summer is the "off time" for wrestling. It isn't so.

Congratulations to Michael Johnson Jr. who competed in Utah over the last few days and was able to hobble on to the mat with a previously injured ankle and win the Triple Crown in his age group at 220 pounds. This big kid is 6 ft 2 and has no desire to play football. I can only hope for Olympic Gold for this straight A student from Downers Grove Illinois. Michael Johnson, Jr. (Schoolboy/girl 210 pounds). This is familiar territory for Johnson, who was a Kids Triple Crown winner as a Novice wrestler in 2007. It caps a very strong season for him. Johnson was the Ultimate Dominator in 2008-09, scoring the most points in USA Wrestling's Ultimate Challenge Series of Folkstyle Wrestling.

Joining us this week:

Chris Ayres- Head Coach of Princeton joins us to discuss his team, his recruits, the Ivy and summer training and camps.

Ray Brinzer- The head man at Angry Fish and one of my all time favorite wrestlers joins us to discuss his mutual effort behind developing "The Open Mat.com". Aside from being informative and a walk down memory lane it should be very fun as well catching up with "Ray man".

Eric Betterman- Co-founder of TheOpenMat.com. He'll share with us his goals for his site, his views and why he has developed this site with Ray Brinzer.

Brian Antonelli- Asst Head Coach of the US Naval Academy Wrestling team. What's it like to work with Head Coach Bruce Burnett. Navy has a stellar recruiting class ranked in the 25 in the country. When you think about of tuff is is to get into the Academy that's quite a feat!

Jimmy May- Baker University in Baldwin City Kansas. Recently inducted in to the Nevada Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Jimmy will tell us of the recruits signed and why smaller colleges, both public and private are adding wrestling at a steady pace. The team is set to start competition fall of 2009. I'm excited!

Harley Race- WLW Wrestling Boss Man, Former many x Pro Wrestling World Champion will host a pro wrestling event in Waterloo, Iowa Friday July 10th to benefit to Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum. Many of the Legends of Pro Wrestling will be on hand. Many Thanks to Harley, his wife and partner BJ for their unflagging support of the DGIWIM. More information on this event can be had at: http://www.wrestlingmuseum.org

Join us for America's Wrestling Radio Talk Show on a radio station near you or on line at many of our broadcast partners including Takedownradio.com. We air 9 AM to 11 AM every Saturday morning and look forward to having you listen in.

"Wrestlers At The Trials" Book - Free for Wrestling Camps

I have extra cases of my award-winning book "Wrestlers At The Trials" and am offering the books to wrestling camps for free - you just pay the shipping cost. If you'd like some to sell (at whatever price you want - I'm selling it on Amazon for $16.95) to your staff, campers & campers families, please reply by email with your address and number of copies you want. I will mail the books to you and enclose an invoice for the shipping.

One book ships for $5; a dozen for around $20-25 depending upon destination via UPS ground transport.

Best wishes,

Jamie Moffatt
Author, "Wrestlers At The Trials"
609 898-0220

By Tammy Tedesco

The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) has announced its annual Division I All-Academic Top 30 Team and the NWCA Individual All-Academic wrestling team for the 2008-09 season.

For the second straight year, American University took home top team honors while five NCAA Division I Champions highlighted the individual team.

Mark Cody’s American University Eagles led the Division I teams with GPA of 3.2839 after tying with Duke University in 2008. American was closely followed by Harvard University which had their highest team finish under head coach Jay Weiss. Rounding out the top five teams are Stanford University, Duke University, and Davidson College.

All eleven conferences were represented in the top 30 teams with the EIWA leading the way with six teams.

For teams to be eligible for consideration, the team GPA is comprised of 12 student athletes, including the 10 wrestlers that were the entries in the NCAA tournament conference qualifier. If teams had less than 10 entries for their respective qualifier, they may fill those spots with wrestlers that competed in at least one varsity dual during the season.

“We are finding that year in and year out, coaches strive to have their team’s listed as an All-Academic Team. This is another measure of success for these programs,” said Executive Director Mike Moyer. “There is so much more to wrestling than what is done on the mat and we see just one part of that here with the All-Academic Team.”

The 2008-09 All-Academic individual team is highlighted by a total of 51 NCAA Qualifiers, 17 NCAA All-Americans, 8 NCAA Finalist and 5 NCAA Champions. In total 73 individuals representing 45 schools are being honored this year on the All-Academic Team.

The five NCAA Champions earning a spot on the individual team are: Jarrod King of Edinboro University (3.78) a Health and Physical Education –Human Performance major, Stephen Luke of the University of Michigan (3.35) a Biology major, Jake Herbert of Northwestern University (3.179) a Communication Major, Fraklin Gomez of Michigan State (3.098) majoring in Human Resources, and J. Jaggers of the Ohio State University (3.02) in Communications.

Sitting at the top of the All-Academic Team is NCAA Qualifier Nicholas Amuchastegui of Stanford University who holds a 3.928 in Mechanical Engineering.

Rounding out the top five individuals were Liberty’s Christian Smith (3.92), Tucker Lane (3.919) of Nebraska, Jeffrey Newby (3.82) of Utah Valley, and Jarrod King (3.78) of Edinboro University.

Individually, wrestlers must have at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA, been an NCAA qualifier or won 60 percent of his total schedule – and must have competed in at least 60 percent of said schedule. The other way to qualify for the All-Academic team is have a 3.0 cumulative and been an NCAA All-American.

“The student-athletes on this All-Academic Team exemplify what we are looking for in the sport of wrestling. You see teams and individuals from the largest institutions that sponsor wrestling to the smaller colleges listed. There is diversity here that you do not always get to see when it comes to compiling these type of teams,” said Jim Beichner NWCA President.

Utah Valley State led all schools with four wrestlers earning All-Academic accolades followed by The United State Military Academy (ARMY), Old Dominion University, and Northwestern University with three individuals named to the All-Academic Team.

“As a coaches association, we look forward to recognizing the accomplishments of our coaches and wrestlers each year. This is just another way to showcase our sport’s close alignment with educational values,” said Moyer.

2009 DI All-Academicteam.pdf

Tammy N. Tedesco
Assistant Director
National Wrestling Coaches Association
717-653-8009 (office)
717-653-8270 (fax)

NWCA Announces APR Conference Leaders and Top- 20 Most Improved Teams

Manheim, PA. - Eight Division I wrestling programs are recognized for having the highest Academic Progress Rate in their conference for the second straight year. The NCAA released its 5^th annual APR report earlier this week and wrestling showed vast improvements with 21 teams improving by 15 or more points from last year.

Iowa State (Big 12), Northwestern (Big 10), George Mason (Colonial), Pittsburgh (Eastern Wrestling League), Northern Illinois (MAC), Stanford (Pac 10), Davidson (Southern Conference) and Air Force (West Regional) are the eight wrestling programs with the highest APR score in their conference for a second year in a row.

Iowa State placed third at the 2009 NCAA championships and Northwestern finish 13^th, while both programs also produced a national champion.

Pittsburgh University, which placed 38^th at the NCAA championships, defended its APR title in the Eastern Wrestling League, which showed the largest improvement of all conferences in the nation.

Bucknell, which has a perfect 1000 APR score, led the very competitive EIWA wrestling conference. The EIWA, comprised of 14 eastern wrestling programs including those in the Ivy League conference, had the highest average APR score of all conferences in the country at 971.

The University of Virginia is the top program in the ACC, while Millersville University lead all teams in the East Regional.

West Virginia University, a member of the Eastern Wrestling League, improved 38 points from a year ago - the best among the 84 NCAA Division I wrestling programs. Two other EWL conference schools were in the top-20 for most improved including Pittsburgh (18-point improvement) and Clarion (16 points). The average improvement in APR scores in the EWL was 14.7 points

The University of Iowa, which won its second consecutive NCAA title in March finished tied for 7th on the most improved list by improving 25 points from a year ago.

Top-20 Most Improved APR scores (# represents the improvement from a year ago)

Division I Wrestling Programs Show Vast Improvement in APR Scores

Division I wrestling programs throughout the country received higher marks than ever before in the 5^th annual APR report released by the NCAA yesterday. The overall four-year Academic Progress Rate in Division I wrestling improved seven points, more than double the three point gain by all Division I athletic teams.

The overall improvement was sparked by a single-year improvement of 14.6 points in 2007-08, the second highest gain of any sport sponsored by the NCAA. The single-year scores in the sport of wrestling has improved each of the past three years, increasing 24.7 points from 937.3 in 2004-05 to 962 in 2007-08.

“We are very pleased and proud of the vast improvement we have seen in a very short time period,” said Mike Moyer, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association. “We are also pleased that several indicators suggest this improvement should continue well into the future.”

Sixty-two percent of Division I wrestling teams improved their four-year APR scores from a year ago, including 11 programs that improved by 20 or more points. West Virginia University improved the most (38 points) followed by UC Davis (33) and Eastern Michigan University (29).

Bucknell University, which earned its first All-American since reinstating its wrestling program in 2006-07, leads all wrestling teams with a perfect 1000 multi-year APR score. Northwestern University and the University of Pennsylvania also have a multi-year APR score in the 990 – 1000 range.

The number of wrestling teams with one-year APR scores below 900 and 925 decreased 19 points and 14 points respectively, representing the largest improvement of any sport sponsored by the NCAA. Teams with multi-year APR scores below 900 or 925 are subject to NCAA penalties.

“A year ago wrestling coaches from around the country came to the annual NWCA convention to learn and share best practices in order to improve APR scores,” says Mark Gumble, an APR consultant working with the NWCA. “I left the convention with a strong belief that the coaches would take what they learned and implement best practices at their institutions. Their leadership has made a big difference and the future of the sport of wrestling looks bright because of it.”

2009 NWCA National Scholastic Award Recipients

Manheim, Pa. – The National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholastic Board of Directors is proud to announce the 2009 Scholastic Awards. The four award categories are: National Coach of the Year, National Assistant Coach of the Year, National Wrestler of the Year, and National Prep Coach of the Year.

This year’s nominees for National Coach, National Prep Coach and National Assistant Coach of the year bring a combined total of 101 years of coaching experience to the mat. They have coached numerous state champions and hold impressive records in their respective states.

Jerry Winterton of Cary, NC has been selected as the NWCA National Coach of the Year. Winterton is an accomplished coach with 36 years of coaching experience, and a career record of 608 wins and multiple state titles along with 48 individual state champions. He is a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame North Carolina Chapter, Class of 2004. Cary High School has won the last five State Individual Championships which brings their total to twenty. Winterton has coached for the last nineteen individual championships.

“I have been blessed to have this happen to me. I would like to thank the NWCA for recognizing me for this award, I greatly appreciate it. I am absolutely thrilled,” said Winterton.

“I am also very fortunate to have the support of my family, my assistant coaches, my principal Mr. Doug Thilman and Kurt Glendenning my Athletic Director as I know Cary High School is the best place to coach or be a student/athlete. I'm also thankful for all the great wrestlers who have come through our program over the years especially the stars we've had in the last 5-6 years who have gone on to do such great things in National competitions as well as continuing with their education and wrestling in college.”

“Coach Winterton is a great example of the type of person that the NWCA continues to recognize. Not only is he an educator, but he has devoted his years in this sport to molding the next generation in the sport of wrestling. His longevity and accomplishments as a high school coach are remarkable,” said Mike Moyer, NWCA Executive Director.

“Our goal as a coaches association is to continue to recognize coaches for their accomplishments along with promoting the areas of coaching education that are essential to a successful program.”

Harlan Hankins, the long-time assistant coach from Roosevelt High School in Colorado, receives the National Assistant Coach of the Year Honors.

Hankins has spent the past thirty-five years of his life devoted to the Roosevelt High School Wrestling Team as the assistant coach. His longevity in this position has surpassed many others, while he and Head Coach Mike Pallotto provide consistency at Roosevelt High School for their wrestling program. He has also had the opportunity to coach his three sons throughout his time at Roosevelt. Hankins has had the honor of coaching 31 state champions and 96 state place winners.

Coach Pallotto had nothing but gracious words for his long-time assistant, “I knew he wrestled for Colorado State University (CSU), when he moved out here. We talked about the Roosevelt program, from there we started a youth program, and Harlan began coaching at the middle school for ten years, a position that his son now has. Our coaching philosophy is the same, which is what puts us in this unique situation.”

“A lot of our success as a program is directly related to Hankins, he is a great guy and will do anything for the program. He is very deserving and any coach would give their right arm to have him as their assistant.”

Eric Grajales a senior wrestler from Florida Powerhouse, Brandon High School will receive this year’s National Wrestler of the Year honors. Grajales finished his senior season with a 62-0 record (217-0 career) and as a four-time state champion. He was named the Outstanding Wrestler at the 2009 Dapper Dan Classic after he pinned three-time Pennsylvania State Champion Dane Johnson of Shady Side Academy. His most recently accomplishment on the mat was as a 2009 FILA Jr. National Champion in Greco Roman.

Grajales currently holds a 4.9 GPA on a 4.0 scale as he is finishing up his senior year of high school.

“Eric Grajales is an exceptional student-athlete. Not only has he excelled on the wrestling mat, but he has also done extremely well in the classroom. I look forward to seeing great things from Eric as he continues his wrestling career and education at the University of Michigan in the fall,” said Moyer.

Receiving the NWCA’s National Prep Coach of the Year award is Jeff Buxton of Blair Academy. Buxton has been a member of the Blair family for twenty-seven years as the wrestling coach and a math teacher, and has been coaching the sport of wrestling for thirty years. Blair Academy has won twenty-nine National Prep Titles and has been ranked the number one team in the country nine times. There have been a total of 149 Individual National Prep Champions under Coach Buxton. He is also currently the Cadet and Junior National Team Coach.

“It is an honor to be associated with the NWCA. I attribute this coaching award to the support I receive from the Blair coaching Staff, the school, the wrestlers and parents. We had a tremendous year with great success in wrestling; but I am more proud of what our wrestlers have accomplished as students as they move on to Harvard, Princeton, Penn, Columbia, American, Michigan and Penn State,” said Buxton.

This is the first year that the NWCA has sponsored the National Prep Coach of the Year Award as an NWCA National Scholastic Award.

“Coach Buxton has accomplished great things in his time at Blair Academy, along with producing accomplished wrestlers on and off the mat. The NWCA was honored to have him as a guest clinician at the 2009 NCAA Championships. Where he was able to share some of his coaching techniques with the other coaches in attendance,” said NWCA President Jim Beichner.

Below are the selections for the NWCA Regional Coaches, Prep Regional Coaches, Assistant Coaches and Wrestlers of the Year. In order to be considered for National Honors, the nominee must have been selected as a Regional Award Winner:

Region	Award Type	Nominee	School (State)
1	*Head Coach of the Year*	*Barry Chooljian*	*Timberlane Regional HS (NH)*
	*Assistant Coach of the Year*	*Scott Bissonette*	*Vergennes Union High School (VT)*
	*Wrestler of the Year*	*Austin Meys*	*Shenendehowa High School (NY)*
2	*Head Coach of the Year*	*Timothy Giel*	*Shady Side Academy (PA)*
	*Assistant Coach of the Year*	*Rob Bowman*	*Mt. St. Joseph's (MD)*
	*Wrestler of the Year*	*Shane Young*	*Penn-Traffod HS (PA)*
3	*Head Coach of the Year*	*Jerry Winterton*	*Cary HS (NC)*
	*Assistant Coach of the Year*	*Mark Black*	*Colonial Forge HS (VA)*
	*Wrestler of the Year*	*Eric Grajales*	*Brandon HS (FL)*
4	*Head Coach of the Year*	*Scott Vlink*	*Crown Point HS (IN)*
	*Assistant Coach of the Year*	*Steve Harding*	*New Palestine HS (IN)*
	*Wrestler of the Year*	*David Taylor*	*St. Paris Graham (OH)*
5	*Head Coach of the Year*	*Steve Keszler*	*Brown HS (SD)*
	*Assistant Coach of the Year*	*Tim Weatherman*	*Ballard Huxley HS (IA)*
	*Wrestler of the Year*	*Bart Reiter*	*Don Bosco HS (IA)*
6	*Head Coach of the Year*	*Scott Chenoweth*	*Perry HS (OK)*
	*Assistant Coach of the Year*	*Harlan Hankins*	*Roosevelt HS (CO)*
	*Wrestler of the Year*	*Chris Perry*	*Stillwater HS (OK)*
7	*Head Coach of the Year*	*Neil Russo*	*Newberg HS(OR)*
	*Assistant Coach of the Year*	*Nick Dougherty*	*Wasilla HS (AK)*
	*Wrestler of the Year*	*Tyler Cox*	*Campbell County HS (WY)*
8	*Head Coach of the Year*	*Jason Nickal*	*Rio Rancho HS (NM)*
	*Assistant Coach of the Year*	*Jim Takatsuka*	*Panahou School (HI)*
	*Wrestler of the Year*	*Ethan Lofthouse*	*Mountain Crest HS (UT)*
NP	*HCOY - Preps MD*	*Mike Kubik*	*Georgetown Prep*
	*HCOY - Preps PA*	*John Gordon*	*Wyoming Seminary*
	*HCOY - Preps NJ/NY*	*Jeff Buxton*	*Blair Academy*
	*HCOY - Preps NE*	*Don Bradley*	*Belmont Hill School*
	*HCOY - Preps VA*	*Jack Effner*	*Cape Henry Collegiate*
	*HCOY - Preps TX*	*Rick Ortega*	*St. Mark's School of Texas*

Five Changes Made in High School Wrestling Rules in 2009-10

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (May 5, 2009) — Five new rules changes for the 2009-10 wrestling season were approved by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Wrestling Rules Committee at its annual meeting last month in Indianapolis. These changes were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.

“The main focus of the changes was clarifying some rules dealing with tournaments,” said Bob Colgate, NFHS assistant director and liaison to the Wrestling Rules Committee. “One of the changes also dealt with improving sportsmanship, which is always a high priority with all NFHS rules.“

Two steps were added in Rule 5-20-5Note to clarify the offensive starting position. As a part of the steps to assume the offensive starting position, the offensive wrestler’s head must be on or above the opponent’s spinal column, and both wrestlers must become stationary. The referee still must pause momentarily before blowing the whistle.

In Rule 9-2-2b and c, two new tie-breaker options for dual-meet competitions have been added as well. First, “The team whose opposing wrestlers or team personnel have been penalized the greater number of team point deductions shall be declared the winner.” Second, “The team whose opposing wrestlers were penalized the greater number of match points for unsportsmanlike conduct during a match shall be declared the winner.”

Colgate said this change eliminates the possibility of a team that has been penalized the greater number of points for coaches misconduct or any kind of unsportsmanlike conduct winning a dual meet in the event of a tie.

In Rule 1-2-1, the committee added: “In individually bracketed tournaments, the contestant representing a school shall be named by weight class prior to the conclusion of the weigh-in and no substitution is allowed after the conclusion of the weigh-in.” The rule previously contradicted two other rules (4-5-6 and 10-2-1), but now all three guidelines are in concurrence.

The committee clarified, in Rule 4-2-3, that if a designated, on-site meet physician is present, he or she may examine a wrestler for communicable skin disease or any other condition, either immediately prior to or immediately after the weigh-in.

Another rule change provides tournament administrators the option to weigh-in by either weight class or teams to help with the organization at tournaments. The revised Rule 4-5-3 adds the following language: “Tournament weigh-in may proceed by team(s) with the lowest weight class to the highest and end immediately upon the completion of the highest weight class.”

The 2009-10 points of emphasis include excessive celebrations; awarding near-fall points; legalities of scissors, draping scissors and Figure 4; and communicable disease.

Wrestling is the sixth-most popular sport for boys at the high school level with 259,688 participants, according to the 2007-08 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey. In addition, there were an additional 5,527 girls nationwide who participated in wrestling in 2007-08.

This press release was written by Paige Flynn, a spring semester intern in the NFHS Publications/Communications Department and a sophomore at Butler (Indiana) University.

About the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS)

The NFHS, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, is the national leadership organization for high school sports and fine arts activities. Since 1920, the NFHS has led the development of education-based interscholastic sports and fine arts activities that help students succeed in their lives. The NFHS sets direction for the future by building awareness and support, improving the participation experience, establishing consistent standards and Rules for competition, and helping those who oversee high school sports and activities. The NFHS writes playing Rules for 17 sports for boys and girls at the high school level. Through its 50 member state associations and the District of Columbia, the NFHS reaches nearly 19,000 high schools and 11 million participants in high school activity programs, including almost 7.5 million in high school sports. As the recognized national authority on interscholastic activity programs, the NFHS conducts national meetings; sanctions interstate events; produces publications for high school coaches, officials and athletic directors; sponsors professional organizations for high school coaches, officials, spirit coaches, speech and debate coaches and music adjudicators; serves as the national source for interscholastic coach training; and serves as a national information resource of interscholastic athletics and activities. For more information, visit the NFHS Web site at www.nfhs.org.